Tower Hamlets council apologises to sacked teacher
THE East End teacher sacked for wearing trainers has been told by education chiefs he should not have been punished and has received an apology from Tower Hamlets council. Adrian Swain was dismissed from St Paul s Way Community School in Bow in Decembe
THE East End teacher sacked for wearing trainers has been told by education chiefs he should not have been punished and has received an apology from Tower Hamlets council.
Adrian Swain was dismissed from St Paul's Way Community School in Bow in December 2008 for failing to adhere to the school's new dress code.
But the General Teaching Council for England (GTC) said he had "no case to answer" and that punishing him was not in the public interest.
He has also received an apology from Tower Hamlets council after bosses reported him to the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA), which usually assesses teachers who are at risk of causing harm to children.
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Mr Swain told the Advertiser: "I had no idea that the case was going to be referred to the ISA. I feel vindicated. What I did was not unprofessional and what I was wearing was not inappropriate and managers were unreasonable to insist so.
"I am convinced I was targeted because I was a union representative and they had a plan to turn the trust into a school and knew the union would have fought it."
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Mr Swain who worked as a Maths and deaf-support teacher as well as a PE teacher claimed at the time he had worn trainers and tracksuit throughout his 17-year career.
But the council has always insisted that he was fired for "continually failing to comply with a reasonable management instruction" and reported him to the ISA five months after he left the school.
In a letter from Town Hall bosses, Adrian has since been told his referral was not a "malicious or vindictive act".
The letter said: "I do apologise for any inconvenience that this may have caused you ... but want to assure you that this referral was made in good faith.
