03 May 2023 , 07:07
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A headteacher admitted having an affair with a pupil's mother and has made a emotional public apology after being absent for hours during the school day.
Aled Rees is facing multiple allegations relating to his conduct at Ysgol Teilo Sant in Llandeilo, Wales, including telling a pregnant colleague "that will teach you to open your legs" - which he denies.
A disciplinary hearing was told Rees admitted five breaches of professional standard including an 'extra marital relationship' at the rural school.
Mr Rees told the Education Workforce Council hearing yesterday: “I recognise my fault and blame. I take the blame.
"I have fallen short of the expectations I would have set for myself and would be expected of me by bodies in general.
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"I regret the pain I caused to members of staff, pupils, parents and not to mention my own family.”
Mr Rees is accused of telling a pregnant teacher 'that will teach you to open your legs' - which he denies (Getty Images/iStockphoto)He is also accused of frequently leaving the site during the school day without informing other staff - meaning there was often no safeguarding lead, reports Wales Online.
Mr Rees is also said to have regularly taken personal calls in his office.
Representing the head, Ioan Jones from education union UCAC said he “accepts it is not appropriate to remain in the profession” which he left voluntarily in February 2021 and “accepts that he deserves any sanction or conditions you impose”.
The panel heard Mr Rees joined the school in January 2018.
However, between September 2018 and February 2020 it is alleged he “spent an excessive amount of time” away from the site during the school day without consistently telling colleagues or arranging cover.
This left the 180-pupil school without the safeguarding lead, which was his role, and without anyone taking overall responsibility, assistant headteacher Maureen Williams told the hearing.
The hearing heard Mr Rees would be absent for periods ranging from 45 minutes to several hours and once for a whole afternoon.
Although there was no evidence of an affair there was a rumour and people witnessed the head and a pupil’s mother talking together for long periods at the school gates each morning, Mrs Williams said.
On one occasion just before the Covid lockdown a teacher at the school raised concerns that a pupil in his class (referred to as Child A in the hearing) was crying and upset because her parents were splitting up.
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Although Mr Rees should have been involved in helping, as the safeguard lead, the child said she did not want to speak to him.
Mrs Williams told the panel: “Aled Rees noticed learner A was crying but walked past rather than walk over."
After lockdown the child’s father asked that someone else from the school carry out the pandemic wellbeing phone calls.
Mrs Williams said there was a "pattern of his frequent loitering and staying outside the gate" with Learner A's mum.
She said as the school was split across sites staff did not necessarily know he wasn’t in the main building.
By spring 2019 his absences were “worsening”, the hearing was told.
The assistant head confronted Mr Rees and he said he would let her know when he was leaving the site. “He didn’t give any reason other than he was popping to the Co-op for food,” she said.
Mrs Williams began keeping records of the head’s departures and said she noticed he left his work phone in school so he could not be contacted: “He was not leading the school as he should. He did not offer advice or support to staff. Leadership was unclear.”
She said on one occasion there was a school trip and his absence meant no-one was leading the school.
Mr Rees missed yard duty and assemblies, the hearing heard.
Year five teacher Elen Davies claims in March 2019 she informed Mr Rees she was pregnant, and shortly after he made the derogatory remarks.
She said she was too frightened as a relatively new teacher at the time, to report it.
She said: "It made me feel angry and scared. Aled Rees was best friends with the chair of governors so I felt he would not support me.
“I remember feeling quite vulnerable. It was clear Aled Rees was able to do whatever he wanted in his role.
“I was only 25 at the time and felt it was my word against Aled Rees’ - I regret not reporting it now.”
Mr Rees faces six allegations, five of which he accepts, which if found proven would amount to unnacceptable professional misconduct. Mr Rees accepts the following allegations that:
* From around September 2018 to February 2020, he spent an excessive amount of time away from the school site on activities that did not relate to school business and/or was uncontactable during the working day.
*From around September 2018 to February 2020, he did not consistently ensure the senior leadership team and/or the administrative office were informed that he was:
a) leaving the school site; and/or
b) where he was going; and/or
c) when he would return
* From around September 2018 to February 2020, he did not ensure sufficient cover with the senior leadership team in his role as designated safeguarding officer and/or headteacher when he was not on site at the school should an incident occur in his absence.
* From around September 2018 to February 2020, he spent an excessive amount of time engaged in personal telephone calls during the working day.
* By virtue of his extra-marital relationship with the mother of a child at the school, he placed himself in a position where:
a) he was or risked being, unable to fulfil his responsibility to ensure the well-being of the pupil; and/or
b) there was a clear risk of a conflict of interest, or the perception of a conflict of interest, between his personal interests and his role as headtacher and/or designated safeguarding officer.
The hearing continues.