Teacher who 'tried to be funny' struck off for making smutty comments to pupils

A TEACHER who made smutty comments to pupils, apparently thinking he was being funny, has been struck off.

A Fitness to Practise panel of Education Workforce Council found that although Adrian Roberts’ remarks were not sexually motivated, they were “inappropriate and unacceptable” and made the children uncomfortable.

Roberts, who took no part in the hearing, was a science teacher at Ysgol Uwchradd Aberteifi in Cardigan from 2018 until he resigned in December 2021.

The matters came to light when a complaint was made by a parent. An investigation was launched and a disciplinary hearing held in January, 2021, but five months later there were further allegations.

The first complaints, which were found not proven by the Fitness to Practise panel, were that when a girl identified only as Pupil A was soaking wet in the rain, Roberts had said to her: “I wish I made you wet”, and that he made a similar comment to another girl when she spilled water on herself.

The panel heard from a boy, Pupil C, that on the last day of school before the Covid shutdown pupils signed each others’ shirts.

Seeing one boy having signed his name “Iwan”, Roberts allegedly commented: “If you add a K to (the name) it has a whole new meaning.”

That, said the committee, had sexual connotations and was inappropriate.

A further allegation which was upheld was that when a girl, Pupil D, bent down to pick up a pen close to a boy, Roberts remarked: “I hope that’s the only thing you’re doing down there.”

The girl told her Head of Year she didn’t want to complain but it made her feel uncomfortable, adding: “At the time, a lot of pupils in the class could be difficult and I thought that Adrian Roberts was trying to be friendly and that it maybe came across wrong.

“I thought it was his attempt to be ‘down with the kids’ and that he was trying to be liked within the class.”

Roberts told the disciplinary panel that he would not have made such a comment.

Further allegations that he sometimes touched Pupil D’s shoulder when talking to her, stood over or sat close to her, and that he commented “Nice leggings” to another girl, were not necessarily improper, according to the Fitness to Practise committee.

The committee found that he was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct.

Imposing a prohibition order, the committee said there had been a pattern of behaviour and Roberts had shown “no evidence of regret, remorse or insight”.

Referring to his comments, the committee said: “There was a sexual element to Mr Roberts’ words, albeit the committee’s findings were such that he was driven by a misguided attempt at humour.”