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So. This guy does a job himself thus saving the school and LEA money. There was no danger to staff or pupils. What happens? The H & S Gestapo get on his back and the guy is disciplined. Do we really need this overbearing Health and Safety Industry with its jobsworths, while at the same time reading about the inspectors who failed to act over the meat processing plant resulting in the death of a child through E. Coli. Sometimes we just get everything back to front and upside down.

Here we go again, lets all blame health and safety! Ever seen anyone die a painful death from mesothelioma or asbestosis? The law is there to protect you, and no doubt if a member of your family had been affected you would be outraged. Asbestos kills, simple as.

Unfortunately, the people in question cannot see the difference between the spirit and the letter of the law. Nobody was at risk - he just didn't follow some of the self serving regulations. Where is the common sense of these people? Unfortunately, the H&S industry is a self serving beanfeast consisting of people desperately keeping themselves in their nicely paid jobs. They are closely followed by "Quality Control" in the tiresome bureaucrat league.

Sorry, but you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. I am neither self-serving nor working in a beanfeast as you put it. I happen to believe that we all have the right to go to work and come home alive and in one piece at the end of the day. And having worked as a H & S inspector, I can assure you I have seen plenty of evidence that sense is basically just not that common. I've also seen some pretty awful accidents that would never have happened if the law were followed, so I'm sorry, I don't share your opinion of those of us who try to keep others safe.

Sorry, but you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. I am neither self-serving nor working in a beanfeast as you put it. I happen to believe that we all have the right to go to work and come home alive and in one piece at the end of the day. And having worked as a H & S inspector, I can assure you I have seen plenty of evidence that sense is basically just not that common. I've also seen some pretty awful accidents that would never have happened if the law were followed, so I'm sorry, I don't share your opinion of those of us who try to keep others safe.

I'm sure some H&S inspectors do some useful work - but what about this particular case? I repeat. Nobody was at risk. What in heaven's name are the school governors playing at? I hope next time the school needs work done that the head forgets the do-it-yourself approach and takes the money out of school / LEA funds, then informs the parents (especially the one with the website) which books and materials the kids won't, as a result, be getting. PS. By the way [bold]Argus[/bold] . In the caption on the front page with the heading and link to the article, you state that [bold]the wall contained asbestos[/bold] . In the article above you state that [bold]"the wall itself did not contain asbestos".[/bold] So before we start World War 3 on here - [bold]could your reporters and writers kindly get the facts sorted out[/bold] ?

I think the point is that he shouldn't have been trying out his DIY skills on the school in the first place, and I sincerely hope he'd checked the asbestos survey report before he did. Our schools are riddled with asbestos and you only have to pick up the paper to see the effect this has, with teachers dying from related diseases. The law is there to protect us, you can't pick and choose how you apply it, and especially not with asbestos. Some things are just best left to the experts.

Sorry, I meant to add that I will concede to you your point about interpretation of the law. It's not the law itself that's the problem - it's people's bizarre interpretation of how far they need to go to comply. Banning Christmas decrations being a point in question. Unfortunately, I get incensed over this because of the assumption that it's always down to the 'elf and safety' people - we spend a lot of our time defending ourselves because of idiots who don't understand the word sensible.

I will concede too that in this case my criticism is really aimed at the school governors and/or LEA. In this case, with the head obviously doing work himsef out of the kindness of his heart, when he breached these regulations but with no harm done whatsoever, the sensible thing to have done would have been to take him aside and tell him to be careful and check the regulations next time. What we got, however, was the guy being hauled in front of a disciplinary hearing and getting a formal warning. This blights his career and was totally unnecessary. A classic example of heavy handed, incompetent management by school governing bodies. It's not surprising that teachers become disillusioned and demotivated, is it?

Glad to see you've made friends, Its not very often that the people making comments on this website take time to actually see other peoples points of view.

[quote][bold]mtrisca[/bold] wrote: Here we go again, lets all blame health and safety! Ever seen anyone die a painful death from mesothelioma or asbestosis? The law is there to protect you, and no doubt if a member of your family had been affected you would be outraged. Asbestos kills, simple as.[/quote] "Ever seen anyone die a painful death from mesothelioma or asbestosis?" I take it you have then? For someone who states they have been involved in H&S inspections your comment and i quote "asbestos kills, simple as" is quite inaccurate. Having many years of experience in the field of environmental and occupational asbestos consultancy I can assure you that just because some material contains asbestos and you are near it, it is not soing to kill you! The diseases you are talking about are evident in those who have been exposed to asbestos fibres in an inhalable form for many years (usually 25-30 years plus) and all the epidemiology and studies that have so far been undertaken suggest that there is no evidence that suggests any health endpoints from acute exposure. The biggest issue are overlooking here is that the man was removing a fairly new partioned wall which contained no asbestos. Any areas of walls or celing material which could have contained any asbestos like material were not affected during the DIY work. The teacher in question would have known aout the areas of asbestos in his school as all the schools in the local education authorities in Gwent have over the past few years all been surveyed. I agree that this is a punishment that the guy didn't deserve. No kids were ever at risk from inhaling asbestos at any time during or after this work!

To answer you Mr T, yes I have seen the effects first hand. However, you are right - I should have said exposure to asbestos CAN kill you. And there is ample evidence of that.

Mr Gannon I understand is a wonderful Head Teacher and is well respected, and to be accused of misconduct is awful. And regarding this breach of H and S, how many Argus readers have artex in their homes, could be your ceilings/walls, also floor tiles which were placed down some years back which all contain asbestos. And no doubt we are talking inches here in width and Mr Gannon did say that he took precautions to ensure that the artex ceiling was not damaged. And the parent who leaked this on her website obviously didn't have all the facts and more than likely wanted to stir trouble.

Does oatley have any inside information? Why say the website is a womans? What do you know??????? Would you expect your consultant to remove and empty your bins - no you would not, this man is a head and not Bob the Builder. He should run the school as he was employed to do! I hope that no one has any problems with their health further down the line. After all who will then face liability?

[quote] I hope that no one has any problems with their health further down the line.[/quote] What health problems? There was no danger if the facts in the article are correct. [quote]He should run the school as he was employed to do![/quote] Do you have inside information? Have you seen his contract of employment? The part where it says he is not allowed to do this?

It seems this Head has some very vocal supporters! I find it somewhat puzzling that so many contributors feel able to state so positively that no asbestos was released and to criticise Governors for their actions. On what basis do they make these statements? Have they seen the report that would've placed before Governors? Have they viewed any test results taken on the day the work was performed? Please let's not understate the danger that working with asbestos can create. It seems from the article that regulations that are in place precisely to protect people from exposure to asbestos have not been followed. Mr Gannon states that no asbestos was released, but even if that is the case (and is he absolutely certain on that point - can he prove no asbestos was released?) surely this is beside the point? It appears he (and all the children and staff in his school) was lucky. What if he hadn't been quite so lucky? What if he had actually brought large chunks of the ceiling down spreading asbestos through the building? The rules are there for a purpose and he admits that he didn't follow them. Seems to me he took an unnecessary risk, got lucky and now expects everyone to thank him for saving the school the money. Sorry, but I think the Governors were spot on with this and parents do have a right to know what sort of things the Head is doing in their school. Also before anyone condemns the Governors for being too heavy handed let's not overlook the fact that we have no idea what other antics this guy has been up to in the school....we don't know all the background facts so it is not fair to criticise their action. In my experience Governing bodies very rarely take action against a Head, and if they do it is usually with the full support of the LEA. The LEA have not exactly been vociferous in voicing their support for Mr Gannon, so perhaps we can draw some conclusions from that? When we send our kids to school as parents we do not expect the Headmaster to be breaking H&S rules re asbestos and I think it is reasonable to expect Governing bodies to take instances such as this very seriously...bravo Governors of Cefn Fforest!

[quote]....we don't know all the background facts so it is not fair to criticise...[/quote] Well indeed. Don't let it stop you too.

Let me just give you all some info on the school. The parents HAVE NOT been given letters to explain what the school is doing to address any concerns. A short note was sent out saying this would happen but yet again he says things and does not follow them through. The school site looks like Bob the builders yard. Bags of sand and chippings are on the school yard and have been for more than 18 months. Surely this is a short catalogue of disasters to befall this once thriving and successful school in a short period of time, the factors joining alot of problems together is the management of the school. Come on sort it out!

Chris, A lot of posts from you in this thread....clearly you have taken this story very personally and you are 100% behind this Headmaster for some reason. I would simply point out that if we take you at face value you don't know the real facts any more than I do. The one thing we do know though is that a disciplinary panel of the Governing Body took disciplinary proceedings against the Head and that those proceedings must have been supported by the LEA, (it is inconceivable that they were not). The Head was found guilty of misconduct by the Governors...what more is there to say? How can you criticise the Governors who would've received expert advice at every stage from the LEA? And how can you criticise the LEA for their role in this? You haven't seen the evidence they had before them, (or have you????) so how can you so vehemently criticise them? If the Governors found him guilty then who are YOU to say they are wrong? The Headmaster has made some very positive statements about there being no danger to children or staff because no asbestos was released, and it seems that this statement can be the only reason you are so wholeheartedly behind him. If asbestos had been released would you be so supportive? And that in a nutshell is I assume the reason for the decision of the Governors. They wuld have had to look at it from the "WHAT IF" perspective. Rules is rules - and he broke them., and he admits it! It's like this...is the person who texts while driving and swerves just missing the group of children on the pavement any less guilty than the person who does the same thing but hits them? This Head cannot defend his actions by saying no fibres were released. He didn't follow the rules and the Governors have held him to account - it is their job to do so. The Governors did exactly the right thing in my view and hopefully their action will make him think twice before he takes such risks again..which is precisely why they had no choice but to take the action. It's called good management and they should be applauded.

Ok guys a few FACTS. The wall was removed during school time with children and staff present. The area was deemed safe several days later after a deep clean had been performed by experts. NO-ONE knows if there was a release of fibres not even the H+S executive. The disciplinary panel acted against the advice of the LEA to sack him. No letters sent home (Nothing unusual there!!) Saving money. Yeh right, he has overspent on budget by tens of thousands with no apparent improvement, and now wants the kids to do a sponsored event to raise money to refurb the toilets!!! Maybe the toilets should have been done before building a pond outside the nursery. Nick the Builder, Can he fix it? He hasn’t managed yet. The website was NOT set up by a female… The Truth Is Out There.

Well at least we are getting some facts now. Why does one have to provoke people to get at the truth? By the way - I'm commenting on the article [italic]as written[/italic] . That's what this facility is for. As it seems that now some interesting facts have emerged maybe the Argus can give us the full and correct story. I'll then look forward to commenting on that.

My kid goes to the school and I cannot believe some of the coments above. Gannon wonderful and well respected???!!! In his dreams.... Who are these people making these comments - are they his family or something? Is it Gannon himself???!! At least we have some people telling the truth - and let me add to it. The school was a bombsite until recently - all his unfnished projects, benches, paths, ponds. Building materials scattered everywhere. Now we find out he's also been at it inside and this time asbestos is involved! What is the man playing at? The junior school has lots of staff off on long term sick (why?). There is no homework and my son is being shifted from class to class each week becuase they havnt got enough teachers! What is going on in the school? It is falling apart and it used to be such a good school. It is tragic. Who is going to be big enough to step forward and take the blame.....come on Governors, come on Gannon stand up and justify yourselves or get out - our school is falling apart. Do something before it is too late!!!!

Mr Gannon sent a letter home to us parents today. He says the press articles are wildly inaccurate, (SW Argus take note!!) but doesn't elaborate. So are you going to sue them Mr Gannon? So you didn't take the wall down, you didn't breach H&S guidelines and you weren't disciplined over it??? Or was it your own statement that no asbestos was released that was inaccurate? I think we have a right to know what you mean!! I also saw the website - which Mr Gannon claims was offensive and libellous. Was it really? Which bits then? Was it that report from the LEA saying standards were abysmal at KS2 and quality of teaching raised serious concerns? Or perhaps it was the question over finances raised by the LEA? Then again perhaps it was the claim that he'd been disciplined over asbestos regulations that was inaccurate. Or maybe it was the claim that there was a £100k budget deficit due to falling pupil numbers? Just which bits of the website were not facts Mr Gannon? I am puzzled that someone could put so much effort into something that was untrue. I'm sure you must have a copy of the website so why don't you issue a line by line rebuttal if it is so inaccurate? If we have been misled you must let us know! Whatever the truth is Mr Gannon, I look forward to your explanation in a couple of weeks time.

I too will be looking forward to the response due on the 9th April. Will this contain a guarantee that no fibres were released that day? I guess not because no test was carried out that day.. I too had the liberty to view the website. What about the prommised shelters? These were going to be paid for by the sponsored parachute jump. Where are they? Oh yeh and there are some logs that were purchased for landscaping purposes. I believe Mr Gannon paid several hundred pounds for the rotten logs. Surely logs are not that hard to come by, and absolutely free if you look hard enough. I am not suggesting that there is any mismanagement of funds of course,but at some point he must be held accountable for the overspend. As parents and tax payers we have the right to know where has all the money gone? At the end of the day if you are disiplined at your work place and found to be guilty of gross misconduct, they generally escort you from the premises immediatly.

Hello I have briefly seen the website, the Wales on Sunday article and the Argus article. Please excuse me if you are already aware, but let me explain to parents some of your rights. You have a right to know the truth. You can guarantee that the LEA or HSE would have commissioned a report into the asbestos incident to be used in the disciplinary hearing of the Head teacher, this means that the facts will have been documented by experts. You also have the right to request information from the LEA under the freedom of information act, if such a report exists, you have the right to request it. You have a right to see governing body meeting minutes. You have a right to see the Bob Howells report. You have a right to see the Educational standards report (I didn't get the name of the author). Write to the Director of Education at CCBC. Write to your local councillor - some of them are on school governing bodies and some maybe even on Cefn Fforest Governing Body? Write to the Chair of Governors, via the LEA. Write to Cllr Kevin Etheridge, he is one of the minority of excellent councillors in the borough, one of the few who will fight for real justice, he is independent. Write to Don Touhig, the Islwyn MP. Write to the Welsh Assembly. Look at the Estyn (school inspections) website, the inspection of Cefn Fforest Primary school is being done by Evenlode Education Ltd on 16/06/2008, write to them, tell them any concerns you have about the headmaster and standards. Write to Westminster. Demand to know the truth about the asbestos, educational standards, how the head spends his time, put the LEA, the governing body and the powers that be under pressure, if you apply enough pressure they may crack.

Hello I have briefly seen the website, the Wales on Sunday article and the Argus article. Please excuse me if you are already aware, but let me explain to parents some of your rights. You have a right to know the truth. You can guarentee that the LEA or HSE would have commissioned a report into the asbestos incident to be used in the discliplinary hearing of the Headteacher, this means that the facts will have been documented by experts. You also have the right to request information from the LEA under the freedom of information act, if such a report exists, you have the right to request it. You have a right to see governing body meeting minutes. You have a right to see the Bob Howells report. You have a right to see the Educational standards report (i didn't get the name of the author). Write to the Director of Education at CCBC. Write to you local councillor (some of them are on school governing bodies and some maybe even on Cefn Fforest Governing Body? Write to the Chair of Governors, via the LEA. Write to Cllr Kevin Etheridge, he is one of the minority of excellent councillors in the borough, one of the few who will fight for real justice, he is independant. Write to Don Touhig, the Isllwyn MP. Write to the Welsh Assembly. Look at the Estyn (school inspections) website, the inspection of Cefn Fforst Primary school is being done by Evenlode Education Ltd on 16/06/2008, write to them, tell them any concerns you have about the headmaster and standards. Write to Westminster. Demand to know the truth about the asbestos, educational standards, how the head spends his time, put the LEA, the governing body and the powers that be under pressure, if you apply enough pressure they may crack.

Just for the record, Mr Gannon was NOT found guilty of Gross Misconduct as stated by Fforest parent. Only if the truth was told, the truth around this being a witch hunt initiated by a parent (former governor) who has a bee in their bonnet (I could say why...but what's the point).

[quote][bold]Dis-may[/bold] wrote: Just for the record, Mr Gannon was NOT found guilty of Gross Misconduct as stated by Fforest parent. Only if the truth was told, the truth around this being a witch hunt initiated by a parent (former governor) who has a bee in their bonnet (I could say why...but what's the point). [/quote] Well i appologise for the innaccuracy. What was he found guilty of? There is whole lot of point in speaking your mind. Thats why people have commented. So come on tell us the truth... [quote]a witch hunt initiated by a parent (former governor) who has a bee in their bonnet (I could say why...but what's the point).[/quote] You are pretty sure of your facts here. The letter sent home from school said that the website was libelous. Unless you have proof of what you have written here, you are yourself being libelous and opening yourself upto legal action.

Mrs Dis-may. How do you know what the head teacher was found guilty of? Are you a governor on the discliplinary panel? If so, tell us what the school is hiding? Looks like you can't see the wood for the trees. Perhaps you would speak differently if one of your children was at the school, my friend is worried sick about her kids and doesn't know where to turn, but one things for sure, if she could meet the guy with the website, she would shake his hand for having the guts to bring this and the other headteachers failures out into the open. Website man, you have more support than you realise. Mike

I reiterate the earlier comment that Mr Gannon was NOT found guilty of Gross Misconduct. His only crime appears to have been of enthusiasm. Headteachers who do nothing will never be found guilty of anything. Headteachers who address the apathy of governors will always be accused of inaction. [bold]Argus please note[/bold] also that the caption re asbestos was wholly inaccurate and legal advice is being sought on this matter. A little "Bird" has indicated that (as an earlier comment indicated) this is a vindictive campaign by a parent and former governor of the school who has a personal grudge. In no way does it reflect the drive, enthusiasm and committment Mr. Gannon has demonstrated for the school.

So what was he found guilty of? You seem so sure of the facts but are unwilling to share what you know. Are you hiding something? Is there a cover up going on? Put up or shut up. I reiterate what i said earlier about having proof of what you say. You can open yourself up to libel action..

Looks like dis-may and reader are one and the same little person. Looks like they've been drinking, I hope its water and not alchol.

Dis - may and reader - or should we say Gan - non? I find your posts offensive - they are so blatantly attempting to mislead. Do you think we parents are stupid? Perhaps if Gan-non put some of his so called "enthusiasm" and "drive" into raising standards the school wouldn't be where it is now and BOB HOWELLS of the LEA would not have had to write his damning report!! WAS BOB HOWELLS LYING AS WELL AS WEBSITE MAN? If Gan-non is so wonderful why is there a supprt team in from the LEA trying desperately to raise standards befre the inspection then???? We should all have the best interests of the school at heart - and that means TELLING THE TRUTH. The first step on the road to recovery for an alcoholic is to admit that you are an alcoholic. I think "dis-may" and "reader" should be very careful about what they say about the nature of the disciplinary - there are people in the KNOW who disagree with you and who are talking..... Please don't take us for fools - WE KNOW THE TRUTH. Our kids tell us what is going on...we see the letters home from Gan-non with the appalling spelling mistakes and grammar. We can see the pond, path and bench debacles and we know about the ragwort fiasco, (where did Gan-non get that topsoil from then?) We have seen the Bob Howells report on the website and Gan-non has admitted breaching asbestos regs!!! THIS IS ALL TRUE!!! To dismiss this as a witch hunt or a grudge on the part of one individual (who has been brave enough to say enough is enough) is a disgrace. I detect no humility, or apology, or commitment to do better from Gan-non. Gan-non should be big enough to say SORRY to all of us parents and the pupils for making such a damned mess of things. SHAME ON YOU GAN-NON, (DIS-MAY)

Does anyone know about his last school in Hendredenny, I do ! A leopard never changes his spots and Bob is still building and the school is still paying the price.

Boy does this make me cross..... I trust President Bush to protect us from Global Warming... I think Thatcher did wonderful things for the valleys...... I think Spurs will win the Premiership..... I think Gannon is a much respected kind hearted, wonderful Headmaster with enthusiasm and drive and commitment What's that at the door? Oh no..it's the men in white coats...!! They're coming to take me away HA HA.... They're coming to take me away HA HA...

I notice that the people defending this man have not even got the guts to say they are from this area. Reader_Powys is obviously close, so why say you are from Powys. Are you embarassed?

OK - information just received. I can confirm without any shred of ANY doubt that it was GROSS misconduct. "Dis-may" and "Reader" - it appears you have either been misled by the man himself, or you are deliberately trying to mislead the public...looks like website man was correct all along. If either "dis-may or "reader" are still reading this thread, perhaps they would like to post an APOLOGY for misleading us about GROSS misconduct. Where is the LEA support for Gan-non by the way? Deafening silence that speaks a thousand words!

After reading all of these VERY interesting posts, I feel the main 'problem' here is the lack of truth-telling. Two parts to this comment bank, are 1. The asbestos diaster, and 2. The 'failing'school info. With the asbestos I think that we have dragged this out, yes, he should not have done it, yes he was disciplined (Not severely enough???? You tell me!) And maybe the allegations of untruths should be investigated by the LEA. On the second point I think that praise should be given to the staff (teachers and other staff) to keep going with all of this going on. The teachers have keep their heads down. Maybe through fear of repercussions - and who can blame them??? If you look at Estyn website at the last inspection report, things were reasonable, yes improvements needed to be done and these points were raised. But no one is perfect as we are all well aware! But lets not forget what has changed since the last inspection - THE SCHOOL MANAGEMENT!!!! Yes syaff are off on long-term sick leave, Why?? Maybe the special inner circle members of staff can let us know??? And reader from Powys, what involvement do you have in this? Are you a personal friend of the said Head, or a family member, or even a member of the inner circle????????? WELL DONE TEACHERS AND OTHER STAFF FOR SOLDIERING ON!!!!

Absolutely agree with the last post. It cant be easy to carry on your work with the walls coming down around you.(tongue in cheek) The majority of teachers are excellent and well respected. Its not their fault they do not have a strong leader to push them forward. I would be interested to know what he did at Henredenny school though!

Meant to add this to my last post... A big thanks needs to go to the South Wales Argus, for allowing this discussion. without them who knows what would have been covered up. If only we had a website where we could express these opinions without taking valuable space of the local news paper, Mmmmmmmm South Wales Argus.. Thank you.

I overheard that the discliplinary panel was heavily weighted in his favour before it even sat. Is there any truth in this ?

I can see where you are coming from. In one of the many articles about this, it states that the chair of the disciplinary committee is now chair of governors after Phill Williams resigned - favour for a favour??????? I also was told that the falling standards in the Juniors are since he moved 7 teaching staff!!!!! They moved classrooms and age ranges. Surely not the best thing to do with an inspection coming??? And if you know the geography of the school, some teachers had to physically moved things across a busy main road - did he help??? I think not!!! There is no way you can blame the staff, maybe this comes down AGAIN to the management? Come on Caerphilly, investigate before our once fabulous school is put on specail measures!!

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