Publication date: 23 April 2025

A Fitness to Practise Committee of the Education Workforce Council (EWC), sitting remotely on 10 April 2025, has found allegations of a relevant offence proved against school learning support worker, Mark Peter Casey.   

The Committee found the following allegations proven, that Mr Casey:

• On 5 March 2024, was convicted of assault by beating, contrary to section 39 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988

The committee found the proven conviction amounted to a relevant offence.

The Fitness to Practise Committee imposed a Suspension Order (with conditions) on Mr Casey’s registration as a school learning support worker for a period of two years (from 10 April 2025 to 10 April 2027), provided that he meets the conditions specified within this timeframe.  

As such, Mr Casey will not be able to work as a school learning support worker in a maintained school or non-maintained special school in Wales for the period of the order.

Mr Casey has a right of appeal to High Court within 28 days.  

Publication date: 9 April 2025

A Fitness to Practise Committee of the Education Workforce Council (EWC), sitting remotely on 27 March 2025, has found an allegation of ‘unacceptable professional conduct’ proved against school learning support worker, Mrs Nicola Cullen.

The Fitness to Practise Committee found the following allegations proven, that Mrs Cullen:

1. On 23 November 2022, accepted a conditional caution from North Wales Police for Theft by employee on 1 July 2021 to 1 October 2021, contrary to section 1 of the Theft Act 1968.
2. On or around 26 January 2024, applied to the Education Workforce Council to register in the category of School Learning Support Worker and she indicated in the declarations section that she did not have any convictions and/or cautions, when this was incorrect.
3. Mrs Cullen’s conduct at paragraph 2 above was:
   1. dishonest
   2. lacking integrity

The Fitness to Practise Committee imposed a Prohibition Order, indefinitely removing Mrs Cullen from the Register of Education Practitioners in the category of school learning support worker. It also decided Mrs Cullen may not make an application for restoration to the Register of Education Practitioners before a period of two years has elapsed. Should Mrs Cullen not make a successful application for eligibility for restoration to the Register after 27 March 2027, they will remain prohibited indefinitely.

Mrs Cullen has the right of appeal to the High Court within 28 days.

Publication date: 31 March 2025

A Fitness to Practise Committee of the Education Workforce Council (EWC), sitting remotely on 11 to 14 March 2025, has found an allegation of ‘unacceptable professional conduct’ proved against further education learning support worker, Mr Gaio Ze Kouyate.

The Fitness to Practise Committee found the following allegations proven, that whilst employed as a as a Virtual World Learning Specialist at Cardiff and Vale College (‘CAVC’), Mr Kouyate:

1. on or around 18 October 2022, used their CAVC laptop to:
   
   1. access content that was inappropriate and/or sexual in nature;
   2. send sexually explicit messages.
2. between 2021 and 2022:
   1. created sexualised avatars within the CAVC Virtual Campus;
   2. provided Colleague A with a link to a spreadsheet containing usernames and passwords for the CAVC Virtual Campus, thus enabling uncontrolled access to this information;
   3. inappropriately suggested to one or more colleagues, that learners could change their dates of birth to allow them to access material on the Second Life system that was otherwise restricted for those under 18 years of age.

The Fitness to Practise Committee imposed a Prohibition Order, indefinitely removing Mr Kouyate from the Register of Education Practitioners in the category of further education learning support worker. It also decided Mr Kouyate may not make an application for restoration to the Register of Education Practitioners before a period of 2 years has elapsed. Should Mr Kouyate not make a successful application for eligibility for restoration to the Register after 14 March 2027, they will remain prohibited indefinitely.

Mr Kouyate has the right of appeal to the High Court within 28 days.

Publication date: 27 March 2025

A Fitness to Practise Committee of the Education Workforce Council (EWC), sitting remotely on 20 March 2025, has found an allegation of ‘unacceptable professional conduct’ and ‘a relevant offence’ proved against school learning support worker, Rosie Garfield.   

The Committee found that Ms Garfield:

1. on or around 25 January 2024, applied for registration with the Education Workforce Council as a School Learning Support Worker, and indicated in the declarations section that they did not have any convictions, when this was incorrect.

Having made this finding, the Committee also decided that the conduct was dishonest, lacked integrity and amounted to ‘unacceptable professional conduct’.

2. on 8 December 2023, was convicted of driving a motor vehicle with excess alcohol on 21 November 2023, after consuming so much alcohol that the proportion of it in their breath, namely 40 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, exceeded the prescribed limit, contrary to S.5(1)(a) of the Road Traffic Act 1988. Ms Garfield was sentenced to a 14-month driving disqualification, fined £80, ordered to pay costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £32.

Having made this finding, the Committee decided that the conduct amounted to a relevant offence.

The Fitness to Practise Committee imposed a Suspension Order (without conditions) on Ms Garfield’s registration as a school learning support worker for a period of 12 months (from 20 March 2025 to 20 March 2026). As such, Ms Garfield will not be able to work as a school learning support worker in a maintained school or non-maintained special school in Wales for the period of the Order.

Ms Garfield has a right of appeal to High Court within 28 days.