An experienced science teacher has been banned from teaching, after she consumed half a bottle of wine during her lunch break, before returning to teach a class. Former head of chemistry at Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bro Myrddin in Carmarthenshire, Rhian Williams, had made a trip to Morrisons on May 9, 2023, to pick up flowers for a colleague, an Education Workforce Council (EWC) fitness to practise hearing, was told.
She also purchased a bottle of white wine and when she returned to her car, she felt the urge to drink half the bottle, a panel heard. Williams, who had been a teacher for 33 years and had taught at the school for 24 years, then drove back to the school, parked her car sideways, before teaching a small year eight class of children with additional learning needs that afternoon. However other teachers noticed her strange behaviour and reported this to the assistant head teacher, reports WalesOnline.
When assistant head Rhian Carruthers entered the classroom she noticed her colleague seemed “overly happy” and hugged her when she was asked to step outside the classroom. Mrs Carruthers thought this was uncharacteristic.
Upon leaving the classroom of the Welsh-medium school just outside Carmarthen, Williams told the assistant head exactly what had happened. They then went to the car and found the half-empty bottle of wine. For the latest Carmarthenshire news sign up to our newsletter here.
Mrs Carruthers, who has been one of the assistant head teachers at Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bro Myrddin since 2017, gave evidence at the hearing and said she was a colleague of Williams for 20 years and described her as a good friend. Mrs Carruthers described Williams as a wonderful person and a clever and knowledgeable teacher who had good relationships with her colleagues. Before this incident she had a completely clean record as a teacher.
She said Williams had struggled to adapt to blended learning since the lockdown periods during the pandemic and as a result had lost confidence and stepped down from her role as head of chemistry. This also led to Williams taking two periods of absence from work with the second lasting six months. She returned to work at the end of March 2023.
Williams was not in attendance at the hearing but in a statement provided she expressed remorse at what had happened. She apologised for her behaviour and said it was out of character.
In the statement she said: “I’m deeply ashamed about what happened on that day. I’m not proud of what I did but I take full responsibility for what I did.” She went on to say she had no intention of returning to teaching.
Williams had taught at the school since September 1999 and was the head of chemistry from 2013 to 2020 but stepped down from this role after the pandemic. Since leaving the school Williams has been volunteering and helping others. Mrs Carruthers said: “She’s in a much better place now.”
The EWC committee found Williams actions’ amounted to unacceptable professional conduct in that she attended the school and began teaching a class while under the influence of alcohol and/or having consumed alcohol. This resulted in them handing Williams a prohibition order of no less than two years banning her from teaching indefinitely.
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