Teacher sacked from Cefn Hengoed school after 10-minute sledging session
A TEACHER was sacked for taking a sledge to school for children to use in the snow.
Technology teacher Richard Tremelling, 37, took the racing sledge in to class as a teaching aid for his class of 15-year-old pupils at Cefn Hengoed school.
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Picture posed by model.
A disciplinary hearing was told Mr Tremelling later took some of his pupils to see it in action.
But the head teacher did not authorise the sledging session — and he was sacked from his £40,000-a-year job as head of technology. Mr Tremelling appeared before a General Teaching Council for Wales disciplinary hearing yesterday where he could be struck off the teaching register.
Rosa Fernandez, presenting the case, said: "Mr Tremelling took the sledge to school without the authorisation of the head teacher.
"He used the sledge on snow covered slopes at the rear of the school and allowed two pupils to use it.
"He failed to carry out appropriate risk assessments and failed to provide a written risk assessment.
"He didn't ensure pupils were wearing protective headgear and protective clothing."
The two year 11 pupils — both boys — were unharmed in the 10-minutes sledging demonstration at the Eastside school.
Mr Tremelling told the hearing he wanted to use the sledge as an example of design technology to help their learning. He said: "I considered how I could use the weather conditions in the lesson and with this in mind I took in my sledge.
"I thought of using it as an appropriate example of design technology with my GCSE class."
Mr Tremelling said he discussed the manufacture and use of the sledge with pupils during a revision class.
He said: "A number of pupils stayed behind interested and excited.
"I took the sledge and pupils to the back of the building where there was two to three inches of snow."
The experienced teacher said he conducted a "mental risk assessment" before sliding down a small slope himself on the sledge.
Two of the pupils, aged 15, volunteered to ride the sledge, one after the other.
Mr Tremelling said: "I told the first boy to follow the track marks that I'd laid out — which he did in a safe manner.
"I wanted to demonstrate sledge control so I moved to a different slope.
"I went first turning at the bottom of the slope — it was a bit fast so I was not happy for the child to go from the top."
Mr Tremelling was dismissed following the sledge lesson after a snowfall in February 2009. He denies unacceptable professional conduct. The hearing in Cardiff continues.
alex.brown@swmmedia.co.uk
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by JF, Swansea
Wednesday, January 12 2011, 10:23AM
“Nice to see everyone jumping on the "I hate H&S band wagon", again another myth that it was the safety that was reason for him being sacked. It was the breach of practice and procedure. The HSE had nothing to do with it and the other contributing factors were his past record and the head teacher jumping the gun. H&S is there to make sure everyone is safe for work. Tell those miners who lost there lives to poor H&S, or asbestosis sufferers etc. Funny how many commented on H&S without having the faintest idea of what it is or how it works.”
by richard, Clydach
Tuesday, January 11 2011, 2:57PM
“This seems strange why the teacher was sacked for his actions. Im sure that the Head teacher could have dealt with this matter internally. I would suggest that the schools management team had other motives and were looking for opportunity to sack individual teachers.”
by GorseinonJoe, Gorseinon
Tuesday, January 11 2011, 1:23PM
“The only way to stop this PC madness is to put pressure on school governors local councillors, LEA's, AM's and MP's.
Teachers have to be able to teach, practical lessons can show how things work, theory leaves everything working, on paper.
There is also a form of teaching in use at the moment called "Foundation" learning where children are taught without formal lessons. There are children in local schools that can't do a 2 times table in year 4 of Primary and struggle to identify words that end in "er" or "ive".
This teacher should be reinstated, if there is an on line campaign started I would support it.
It is interesting that with nearly 20 views on this subject I can't see one who agrees with the Governors decision. One last thing, there is always a councillor on the board of Governors and it would be interesting to know whether he/she was in attendance and whether he/she voted for dismissal.”
by Michael John, Swansea West
Tuesday, January 11 2011, 1:16PM
“Well said Edna. What a waste of a excellent teacher, it should never of come to this. Good luck to you Mr Tremellin.”
by Mike, SA1
Tuesday, January 11 2011, 1:14PM
“The kids must have been gutted to lose such an inspirational teacher, no support from the other teachers? Prob worried they'll be chucked out on a limb as well. I hope schools from all over the Country will be offering him posts.”
by sion owens, winchwen
Tuesday, January 11 2011, 1:10PM
“health and safety has gone mad yet again.i live in front of the school and my back garden backs on to the school grounds were the slope is .mr tremelling was sacked because he had no protective head gear for the pupils to wear among other waste of time health and safely regulations and paperwork yet the pupils run up and down the slope in there break time with no head gear on so does this mean the head of the school should be sacked for not ensuring these health and safety regulations aren't enforced while the children are on his/her school grounds? of course not as it would be silly as was the sacking of this teacher who tried to make an interesting lesson for his pupils”
by Dawn Llewellyn-Price, Swansea Maritime Quarter
Tuesday, January 11 2011, 12:40PM
“What can be said here? Totally and utterly ridiculous. Start a campaign and get this guy re-instated. Am ashamed to see this is Swansea, in common sense Wales. What the hell happened here??????? Are they not listening to the government who have beentelling us that common sense should be back in fashion.???”
by M., Swansea
Tuesday, January 11 2011, 12:39PM
“This is nothing to do with Health and Safety and everything to do with protection against litigation. The fact that he did a mental risk assessment but didn't write it down is testament to how bureaucratic the whole thing has become. I carry out an assessment of risk every time I cross a main road. I suppose I better start writing it down now and creating a risk ranking. It's ludicrous.
So sadly we are seeing a teacher being sacked and potentially dismissed from the profession because of an exercise which was fun, educational and in which nobody was injured. What a joke this school is.”
by Penny, Adelaide,Australia
Tuesday, January 11 2011, 12:34PM
“How big was the slope? Is the Cresta Run hidden behind Cefn Hengoed school?? What a waste of an experienced teacher!”
by Penny, Adelaide, Australia
Tuesday, January 11 2011, 12:32PM
“How big was the slope? Is the Cresta Run hidden behind Cefn Hengoed school?? What a waste of an experienced teacher!!!”