Publication date: 16 July 2025

A Fitness to Practise Committee of the Education Workforce Council (EWC), sitting remotely on 7 – 10 July 2025, has found allegations of unacceptable professional conduct proved against further education teacher, Benjamin Dick.

The Fitness to Practise Committee found the following allegations proven, that whilst employed at Coleg Ceredigion Mr Dick:

• between around 2023 and February 2024, referred to learners using foul, derogatory and inappropriate language in the presence of other staff, and made comments about learners to other learners or where learners could hear, which were inappropriate and/or derogatory, namely words to the effect of:
  • “little s**t”
  • calling learners “thick”
  • using the word “f**k”
  • “they are a right c**t”
  • calling learners “d**khead” and/or “d**kheads”
  • referring to the Level 1 group as “a f**king s**t group”
  • telling the Level 2 group that the Level 1 learners were getting on your nerves
  • being irritating or annoying
  • saying that a learner was “f**king annoying”
• between September 2022 and February 2024 behaved in an inappropriate or unprofessional manner in the presence of colleagues and/or learners in that he:
  • shouted and/or swore angrily
  • threw one or more items
  • kicked a door
  • referred to his partner as a “c**t”, and/or, in a derogatory way
• on one or more occasions left learners unsupervised and/or without adequate supervision within the workshop
• in or around January and/or February 2024 allowed learners to work on a learner’s car without adequate supervision
• in or around December 2023 allowed learners to work on his car:
  • without adequate supervision
  • without checking their work before driving the car
  • allowing the car to be driven without working headlights
• between around September 2022 and around February 2024 was asleep at work, during working hour and played games on his mobile phone during workshop and/or theory lessons and/or working hours

The Fitness to Practise Committee imposed a Prohibition Order, indefinitely removing Mr Dick from the Register of Education Practitioners in the categories of further education teacher and school learning support worker. It also decided Mr Dick may not make an application for restoration to the Register of Education Practitioners before a period of 2 years has elapsed. Should Mr Dick not make a successful application for eligibility for restoration to the Register after 10 July 2027, he will remain prohibited indefinitely.

Mr Dick has the right of appeal to the High Court within 28 days.

Publication date: 10 July 2025

A Fitness to Practise Committee of the Education Workforce Council (EWC), sitting remotely on 30 June, 1 and 2 July 2025, has found allegations of ‘unacceptable professional conduct’ and a ‘relevant offence’ proved against school teacher, Miss Alice ASHTON.

The Fitness to Practise Committee found the following allegations proven, that Miss Ashton:

1. on 19 September 2023, at Telford Magistrates’ Court, was convicted of driving a motor vehicle with an alcohol level above the limit on 19 August 2023, contrary to section 5(1)(a) of the Road Traffic Act 1988. As a consequence of this offence, on 19 September 2023, she was sentenced to a 12-month community order, 200 hours of unpaid work and disqualified from holding or obtaining a driving licence for 28 months
2. on or around 17 January 2024, appeared under the influence and smelt of alcohol whilst at work
3. on one or more dates in or around January 2024, acted in an inappropriate and unprofessional manner towards and in front of pupil(s), in that Miss Ashton:
   1. said “f***” and “s***”
   2. told pupil(s) to “s*** it” and/or “f*** off”
   3. called pupil(s) “divvys” and/or “little s****”, and/or “little b****”
   4. in response to Pupil G saying he would “snitch”, Miss Ashton responded “be my guest, while you go we will slag you off”, and “don’t snitch”, or words to that effect

The Fitness to Practise Committee imposed a Prohibition Order, indefinitely removing Miss Ashton from the Register of Education Practitioners in the category of school teacher. It also decided Miss Ashton may not make an application for restoration to the Register of Education Practitioners before a period of 2 years has elapsed. Should Miss Ashton not make a successful application for eligibility for restoration to the Register after 2 July 2027, she will remain prohibited indefinitely.

Miss Ashton has the right of appeal to the High Court within 28 days.

Publication date: 27 June 2025

A Fitness to Practise Committee of the Education Workforce Council (EWC), sitting remotely on 3 to 5 June 2025, has found an allegation of ‘unacceptable professional conduct’ proved against youth worker, Mr Francois Hanson.

The Fitness to Practise Committee found the following allegations proven, that Mr Hanson:

1. in or around April and/or May 2019, sent one or more inappropriate message(s) to Child A
2. on unknown dates in 2018 and/or 2019, made one or more inappropriate comments to Child A, in that he:
   1. said, “Well you wouldn’t have to worry about that [having children] with me because I’ve had the snip”
   2. told her about problems in his marriage
   3. told her that she could move in with him
3. on an unknown date in 2018 or 2019, put his hand on Child A’s thigh.

Having made these findings, the Committee determined that Mr Hanson’s conduct at paragraph 1 above was of a sexual nature. The Committee also determined that Mr Hanson’s conduct at paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 above was sexually motivated.

The Fitness to Practise Committee imposed a Prohibition Order, indefinitely removing Mr Hanson from the Register of Education Practitioners in the category of youth worker. It also decided Mr Hanson may not make an application for restoration to the Register of Education Practitioners before a period of 5 years has elapsed. Should Mr Hanson not make a successful application for eligibility for restoration to the Register after 5 June 2030, he will remain prohibited indefinitely.

Mr Hanson has the right of appeal to the High Court within 28 days.

Publication date: 27 June 2025

A Fitness to Practise Committee of the Education Workforce Council (EWC), sitting remotely on 10 to 13 June 2025, have found an allegation of ‘unacceptable professional conduct’ proved against school learning support worker, Tina Sherratt.    

The Committee found the following allegations proven, that whilst employed as a peripatetic music teacher at Conwy County Borough Council, Ms Sherratt between around October 2020 and May 2023:

• regularly did not respond to communications from one or more colleagues
• did not submit visit forms/timesheets on a monthly basis, as requested by one or more colleagues
• did not notify a school that she would not be attending for a lesson with a pupil, because they had made other arrangements
• failed to provide data relating to learner engagement
• did not provide free school meals data
• failed to complete all mandatory training modules as required
• failed to seek prior authorisation for absence
• failed to notify management and/or Colleague A of her absence from work
• failed to inform the schools that she was due to attend during this period of intended absence

The committee found the conduct in respect of absences from work amounted to a lack of integrity.

The Fitness to Practise Committee imposed a Reprimand on Ms Sherratt’s registration as a school learning support worker, for a period of 2 years (from 13 June 2025 to 13 June 2027).

As such, Ms Sherratt will be able to work as a school learning support worker in a maintained school or non-maintained special school in Wales during the period of the Reprimand.

Ms Sherratt has a right of appeal to High Court within 28 days.