A headteacher who kept condoms at his desk and sent female staffers photos of sex positions asking which their favourite was has avoided being thrown out of the classroom.
Gareth Linwood also told one woman he wanted to ‘wrap his snake around her neck’ and talked about ‘f*** buddies’ in a staff meeting.
The shamed primary school teacher has now been allowed to return to the profession after being suspended.
Linwood has worked as a headteacher in various primary schools since 2006 and was the headmaster of Fleetville Junior School in Hertfordshire from January 2018 until his suspension in around April 2022.
He is now believed to be working as a teacher at a different primary school in Cambridge.
In April 2022, before his suspension, an investigation was carried out by the school following concerns regarding Linwood’s behaviour towards female members of staff.
He described the investigation as a ‘witch hunt’, ‘a sham’, ‘unlawful’, ‘incomplete’ and alleged people were sought out for ‘dirt’ on him.
A Teaching Regulation Agency hearing was held on 27 May 2022.
Gareth Linwood – pictured – was the headmaster of Fleetville Junior School in Hertfordshire from January 2018 until his suspension around April 2022
Fleetville Junior School – pictured – provides schooling for children aged seven to 11 years old
There were nine witnesses including at least seven teachers, who were not named.
The panel found he made inappropriate comments towards members of staff between 2019 and April 2022.
On an unknown date said: ‘I would love to wrap my snake around your neck,’ in reference to a scarf worn by a female member of staff.
Linwood denied the allegation and said the staff member had misheard.
The panel found this allegation proved as the sentence is ‘not a phrase that somebody is likely to mishear’.
On April 19, 2022 Linwood used the term ‘f*** buddies’ in a meeting with two female members of staff.
On February 24, 2021, he sent an email to two female members of staff which contained pictures of a man and a woman in sexual positions, asking them ‘which one?’.
In preparation for an OFSTED visit, he was in discussion about whether the school dog should be kept away during the inspection.
Linwood said he ‘may not like middle aged women but you could not send them all home’.
Linwood had taken sick leave from December 2021 to February 2022 and had a return-to-work interview with one of the witnesses. Pictured: A general view of Fleetville Junior School
Linwood admitted keeping condoms in his desk drawer and was found to have lied about them being for health education classes.
On another occasion he told staff he would like to recruit young, blonde women.
Linwood had taken sick leave from December 2021 to February 2022 and had a return-to-work interview with one of the witnesses.
He raised a grievance against this witnesses for bullying and intimidation in March 2022.
He believed the investigation into his behaviour was in retaliation to him raising the issue, which the panel did not find was the case.
The witness stated that she had had prior ‘nagging concerns’ about Linwood’s behaviour for some time before he went on sick leave.
They noted a staff member had disclosed that Linwood had made inappropriate comments in an anonymous staff survey in September 2021.
The hearing report said: ‘The panel took into account that Linwood was an experienced headteacher at the time of his conduct.
‘He should have known better and should have been leading by example.’
He avoided a teaching ban but is not currently working at the school which he was suspended from.
The decision maker said: ‘I consider that the publication of the findings made would be sufficient to send an appropriate message to the teacher as to the standards of behaviour that were not acceptable and that the publication would meet the public interest requirement of declaring proper standards of the profession.’
