Former St Albans headteacher let off after sexual comments
He denied every allegation except one
Last updated 9th Apr 2025
A former St Albans headteacher will be allowed to continue teaching despite a misconduct panel finding that he made a series of sexual comments to female colleagues. Gareth Linwood was headteacher at Fleetville Junior School from September 2018 until June 2022, leaving shortly after the school investigated allegations against him.
A Teaching Regulation Agency misconduct panel held last month decided not to impose a teaching ban on Mr Linwood despite concluding that most of the allegations against him were proved on the balance of probabilities.
The report claims in one incident, an email was sent from Mr Linwood’s school email address to two colleagues with an image of nine medals, each showing a picture of a man and woman in different sex positions, asking “Which one??”.
Mr Linwood claimed the email may have been “fabricated”, but the panel concluded he had sent it himself. In other incidents, the panel found proved that he had said “he would like to see a colleague getting a Brazilian wax” and that he had mentioned “f*** buddies” while discussing his online dating.
The panel also claimed that Mr Linwood had made comments saying he would “like to recruit young, blonde women”. One colleague said Mr Linwood had been “adamant” about wanting to hire somebody who “not only we could not afford but also did not meet the role specification”.
The panel also heard that Mr Linwood said to a colleague, who was wearing a scarf with a snake on, “I would love to wrap my snake around your neck”.
Mr Linwood had argued the investigation into his conduct was a “witch hunt” and a “sham”. He denied every allegation except one, admitting that he had kept condoms in his office.
But his claim that he had kept condoms at school – some of which were found in a bin outside his office – for PSHE teaching purposes was dismissed by the panel, which found it was “false”.
Yet the panel was “not satisfied” that the proven allegations against Mr Linwood amounted to serious misconduct or unacceptable professional conduct. However, they found that his actions “may bring the profession into disrepute”.
They concluded that his behaviour had been “extremely inappropriate” and “unprofessional” but said he “did not intend to be disrespectful”.
In deciding not to ban Linwood from teaching, the panel said he had shown “a good level of insight and remorse” and had faced “difficult circumstances” in 2021 and 2022 when a number of the alleged incidents took place. He was off work ill from December 2021 until February 2022.
Mr Linwood said he “absolutely” accepts responsibility for the conduct the panel found proven and wants to “issue a heartfelt apology for his words and actions.”
ADDITION: This story has now been updated to include comment from The Spiral Partnership Trust.
A former St Albans headteacher will be allowed to continue teaching despite a misconduct panel finding that he made a series of sexual comments to female colleagues. Gareth Linwood was headteacher at Fleetville Junior School from September 2018 until June 2022, leaving shortly after the school investigated allegations against him.
A Teaching Regulation Agency misconduct panel held last month decided not to impose a teaching ban on Mr Linwood despite concluding that most of the allegations against him were proved on the balance of probabilities.
The report claims in one incident, an email was sent from Mr Linwood’s school email address to two colleagues with an image of nine medals, each showing a picture of a man and woman in different sex positions, asking “Which one??”.
Mr Linwood claimed the email may have been “fabricated”, but the panel concluded he had sent it himself. In other incidents, the panel found proved that he had said “he would like to see a colleague getting a Brazilian wax” and that he had mentioned “f*** buddies” while discussing his online dating.
The panel also claimed that Mr Linwood had made comments saying he would “like to recruit young, blonde women”. One colleague said Mr Linwood had been “adamant” about wanting to hire somebody who “not only we could not afford but also did not meet the role specification”.
The panel also heard that Mr Linwood said to a colleague, who was wearing a scarf with a snake on, “I would love to wrap my snake around your neck”.
Mr Linwood had argued the investigation into his conduct was a “witch hunt” and a “sham”. He denied every allegation except one, admitting that he had kept condoms in his office.
But his claim that he had kept condoms at school – some of which were found in a bin outside his office – for PSHE teaching purposes was dismissed by the panel, which found it was “false”.
Yet the panel was “not satisfied” that the proven allegations against Mr Linwood amounted to serious misconduct or unacceptable professional conduct. However, they found that his actions “may bring the profession into disrepute”.
They concluded that his behaviour had been “extremely inappropriate” and “unprofessional” but said he “did not intend to be disrespectful”.
In deciding not to ban Linwood from teaching, the panel said he had shown “a good level of insight and remorse” and had faced “difficult circumstances” in 2021 and 2022 when a number of the alleged incidents took place. He was off work ill from December 2021 until February 2022.
Mr Linwood said he “absolutely” accepts responsibility for the conduct the panel found proven and wants to “issue a heartfelt apology for his words and actions.”
A spokesperson for The Spiral Partnership Trust, which runs Fleetville Junior School, said they “acknowledge” the panel hearing.
The spokesperson said: “We respect the independent process of the TRA and respect the decision of the panel.
“As this is an independent legal process, it would be inappropriate to comment.
“As a Trust we have complied with any requests from the TRA in relation to the process.
“As a previous and not the current employer, we feel it in appropriate to comment on the conduct of Mr Linwood.
“Spiral Partnership Trust is committed to upholding the values and expectations of the teaching profession and ensuring the best possible outcomes for our students and community.”