Everyone will have a view on whether Paul Davies should be allowed a “second chance” to lead a primary school with a criminal record and a spell inside behind him.
For some, the decision will be outrageous, but others may take the view that Mr Davies has done his time and the offence has no bearing on his ability to lead a school. The more liberal will say everyone deserves a second chance. But there will be many sympathisers for Mr Kelvin Palmer, the man seriously injured by Mr Davies when he drove so dangerously, and said to be at great speed, that ill-fated evening.
Wherever our moral compasses lies, there is no denying this is a shock decision. It is not every day that a child can ask their head what it was like to go to prison.
Allowing Mr Davies back into the profession, never mind his old job, has set a precedent. For the General Teaching Council for Wales, it raises questions over its remit and role in disciplinary procedures. It is the first professional conduct committee decision made by the GTCW to end in the High Court, and it comes at a time when the council is being criticised for being too heavy-handed in disciplinary procedures.
What TES Cymru has done by allowing Mr Davies to give his side of the story is to spark serious debate on this issue. We don’t seek to judge, but to help readers make up their own minds.
Those readers who have a strong opinion can log on to our website and make their feelings known in a special forum.
Were governors right to welcome back Mr Davies and his “exemplary” record to Cwmdare Primary School in Aberdare? Can his experience in prison be turned into a positive when he returns to the classroom?
It has been a two-year battle and no doubt his fellow teachers will have a view, and Mr Davies will now have to persuade them.
www.tes.co.ukdavies.
