A special school teaching assistant convicted of drug dealing has been banned from the classroom. Siobhan Rowan, who worked at Woodlands High in Cardiff, received a suspended sentence at Cardiff Crown Court and was ordered to do community service after being found guilty of drug-related offences, a professional standards hearing was told.
Striking her off the register as a teaching assistant the Education Workforce Council (EWC) Wales panel heard the offences did not happen during school time and did not involve pupils but could still have had an impact on them. Rowan, who was employed to work at Woodlands through the Teacher Active agency, did not attend the remote hearing on October 19.
She was not represented and did not enter any pleas, had not engaged in the process, and showed no obvious insight or remorse, said panel chair Peter Owen. The committee was told that Rowan was convicted at Cardiff Crown Court on May 3 last year and on May 27 was sentenced to 24 months imprisonment suspended for 18 months and ordered to carry out an eight-day rehabilitation activity and 180 hours unpaid work.
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Her convictions – possession of cannabis with intent to supply, being concerned in the supply of cannabis, offering to supply cocaine, and offering to supply a Class B drug – were put before the EWC panel to decide whether her registration as a teaching assistant could continue. The panel found all the allegations proven and found that together they amounted to “a relevant offence” meaning a conviction in the United Kingdom for a criminal offence other than one having no material relevance to a person’s fitness to be registered with the EWC Wales.
Rowan was struck off the EWC register and cannot apply to rejoin for two years. If she does she will have to convince a new EWC panel of her rehabilitation and fitness to work as a teaching assistant again. Striking her off panel chair Mr Owen said: “Miss Rowan’s behaviour was unacceptable. It had no impact on learners and took place outside school but had the potential to impact on learners. There was no evidence of remorse or insight or engagement with these proceedings. She is subject to a suspended custodial sentence.” Rowan has the right to appeal the EWC Wales decision to the High Court within 28 days.
Paperwork from 35-year-old Rowan's initial magistrates' court appearance gives her address at the time as Skelmuir Road, Splott, and shows the charges covered a period between March and July 2021. The charges from that hearing stated that with regard to possession with intent to supply cannabis Rowan was in possession of 2kg of the drug.
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