A MARRIED headteacher who began 'an emotional affair' with a parent that put her children 'at risk' has had an unfair dismissal claim thrown out.

Gareth Hughes was headteacher at Llansantffraid Church in Wales Primary School from 2001, and later Llanfechain Primary Schools from 2011, until he was dismissed shortly before Christmas in 2018.

Mr Hughes's claim against the schools was heard by a Cardiff-based tribunal judge in December last year, with the result published late in January this year.

According to the tribunal report, Mr Hughes had begun the relationship with 'Miss X' – the parent – around 2014, though there was no suggestion that it was sexual in nature.

"The Claimant was married, and Miss X was a parent of children at Llansantffraid," adding that they met through the school.

"It is agreed that the Claimant kept his relationship with Miss X a secret, including after his deputy headteacher and deputy safeguarding lead raised concerns with him about safeguarding and placing himself in a vulnerable position with Miss X’s family as the children were in his office frequently outside of core school hours, including during school holidays."

The report added that Mr Hughes spent time with the children without their mother present, including on an overnight stay in London as part of a 'recce' for a school trip.

Mr Hughes was arrested following an anonymous tip-off in March 2015, but no further action was taken and the investigation was handed back to Powys County Council in February 2016.

In that time, he was suspended from both schools by Leigh Kellaway, who was chairman of the Llanfechain school governing body, but a further investigation found that correct procedures had not been followed.

Mr Hughes was the school's designated safeguarding officer, and it was found that he had been messaging the children through school-issued iPads.

Mr Hughes was eventually sacked in 2018 after an investigation by Jonathan Walters, an independent employment law barrister, who was appointed by both schools.

He found that there was a case for disciplinary action because of 11 questions of 'inappropriate behaviour' around the parent and children.

An eventual appeal was launched after Mr Hughes called the decision "a sick and perverted interpretation of events to accuse him of having created a risk of emotional abuse for children", but that failed.

In its summary, the tribunal found the schools' view that Mr Hughes had acted with gross misconduct to be correct.

It also noted that it was "struck by the 'reckless' disregard of the Claimant of the relevant policies and procedures; it found that he was unfit to be either a head teacher or the child protection and safeguarding lead of a primary school".