Boy shut himself in to avoid assembly

A CLASSROOM assistant used a 20p coin to unlock a toilet cubicle and check on a young boy who had been inside for several hours without food or water, a professional standards hearing has heard.

The incident occurred at Waldo Williams Primary School in Haverfordwest on May 22, 2023, when a pupil, referred to as Child A, shut himself in the toilet to avoid attending a school assembly. He remained in the cubicle from around 11:00am until after 3:00pm, according to teaching assistant Samantha Thomas, who gave evidence to the Education Workforce Council on Monday (April 8).

Mrs Thomas said she repeatedly checked on the child, asking if he needed anything to eat or drink, but he did not respond. She eventually used a coin to release the door mechanism and partially open the door, which opened inwards. Inside, she saw the child sitting in the small cubicle—approximately two metres square—which contained a toilet, basin and, unusually, a chair.

Despite her concerns, Mrs Thomas said she was instructed by class teacher Sally Berry not to interact with the child while he remained in the cubicle. Mrs Berry allegedly told her the boy’s behaviour plan required minimal stimulation and that he should be left to calm himself.

However, under questioning, Mrs Thomas said she did not see Mrs Berry personally check on the child during that time, aside from overhearing her say, “Are you alright, buddy?” at one point. She also confirmed that although the door was closed, she knew it could be opened using the slot-lock from outside.

The panel heard that the child often used the toilet as a “safe space” and had not wanted to attend assembly that day. But former headteacher Cora O’Brien, who had worked closely with Mrs Berry before retiring, said that if such an incident had happened during her leadership, it would have triggered serious safeguarding concerns and the senior management team would have been alerted immediately.

Debbie Williams, who was the acting headteacher at the time of the incident, told the hearing she had not been informed about the situation until near the end of the school day. She confirmed that senior leaders were unaware the child had been in the cubicle for such a long period.

The panel is considering a number of allegations against Mrs Berry. These include claims that she:

• Allowed the pupil to remain in the toilet for more than three hours;
• Failed to provide proper guidance to teaching assistants about how to respond in line with the child’s behavioural support plan;
• Did not ensure the child was supervised over the lunch break;
• Failed to notify senior staff or the pupil’s parents in a timely manner;
• Misrepresented how often she had checked on the child;
• Submitted a behaviour report containing inaccurate information.

Mrs Berry is also accused of a separate safeguarding failure involving another child, referred to as Child X, in January 2023. She allegedly did not report a threatening comment made by the pupil to the school’s Designated Safeguarding Person or to the local authority’s Child Care Assessment Team in a timely manner.

The hearing continues.

ASCONA GROUP have helped raise an incredible £67,814 in just over six months for the Wales Air Ambulance Charity.

The company has teamed up with the award-winning UK fintech charity Pennies, which enables micro-donation opportunities at checkout, helping create huge impact for charities in need.

Customers are given the opportunity to donate to charity when paying by card or digital wallet which Ascona will be match funding.

Darren Briggs, founder and Chief Executive of Ascona Group said: “Wales Air Ambulance, is such a phenomenal service and our customers recognise that.

“They have been so generous at our tills, whenever they make a purchase, they are given the option of donating 30p to the Charity, which Ascona will match-fund.

“As you can see from the amount raised so far, they think a lot of the service.”

The Wales Air Ambulance is consultant-led, taking hospital-standard treatments to the patient and if required, transferring them directly to the most appropriate hospital for their illness or injury.

It is delivered via a unique Third Sector and Public Sector partnership. The Wales Air Ambulance Charity relies on public donations to raise the £11.2 million required every year to keep the helicopters in the air and rapid response vehicles on the road.

The Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS) supplies highly skilled NHS consultants and critical care practitioners who work on board the Charity’s vehicles.

This advanced critical care includes the ability to administer anaesthesia, deliver blood transfusions and conduct minor operations, all at the scene of an incident.

As a pan-Wales service, its dedicated crews, regardless of where they are based, will travel the length and breadth of the country to deliver emergency lifesaving care.

Darren said: “It means a lot on a personal level to be able to help support a Charity that helps save so many lives each year.

“One of my longest serving employees, needed the help of the Wales Air Ambulance, and is thankfully still with us.”

He added: “As a helicopter pilot, I also understand the flying element to the service too, it’s unbelievable what they do under such pressure.

“There are so many things that must be considered even before take-off.

“There’s the logistics, navigating the terrain – some patients can be in hard to access areas, and most importantly providing critical care at the scene.”

Ascona Group has 62 forecourts across the UK and serves 300,000 customers a week. It dispenses 5.0 million litres of motor fuel per week – That’s an equivalent of 19 tankers per day.

Valero is a global fuels manufacturer and owns and operates Pembroke Refinery in West Wales. It has taken around 18 months for both companies to rollout the Pennies initiative.

Alison Cousins, Area Sales Manager for Valero Energy Ltd, said: “Valero is proud of our charitable partnership with the Wales Air Ambulance, and is pleased to have been able to support the rollout of Pennies charitable giving across Ascona sites.

“Wales Air Ambulance carry out inspirational, lifesaving work for those who need it most, and we are delighted today to help celebrate the public and Ascona’s generous donation efforts across the communities we are so fortunate to be a part of.”

Customers making a purchase at Ascona’s Valero branded forecourts will see messaging around the campaign on fuel pumps and at the counter.

Geoffrey Harding, Head of Fuel Strategy at Ascona Group, said: “If you pay using the card reader, you will have the option to donate 30p, which Ascona will match up to £100,000.

“For every donation we have seen so far, we have matched, when paid by card.

“We also have donation boxes at the checkout, for anyone paying with cash, who might wish to donate.

“It is totally the customer’s choice, the staff are fully trained to answer any questions the customer has and it’s just a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ option on the card reader, if they wish to add a donation on to their transaction, they can with the added bonus that Ascona will match fund the donation.”

Pennies CEO, Alison Hutchinson CBE, added: “Pennies is proud to partner with Ascona, and congratulations to the team and customers for their amazing fundraising efforts.

“The generosity of Ascona customers and Ascona with their match funding has created tremendous impact for The Wales Air Ambulance.

“Thank you to the Ascona team and to all those customers who press ‘yes’ – your small acts of generosity make such a difference.”

Ascona and Valero’s Pennies’ campaign is raising around £1,200 per week on average. Since its launch in 2010, Pennies has facilitated over 255 million micro-donations, raising £62 million for more than 1,060 charities.

Phae Jones, Director of Income at Wales Air Ambulance said: “We’d like to extend a huge thank you to every customer who has donated over the past six months at Ascona sites.

“We are hugely grateful to Ascona for kindly match-funding all money raised to the value of £100,000. That is an incredibly generous amount, which will help save many lives and will be the company’s second £100,000 donation in the last two years.

“The Valero team are also hugely supportive of the work we do and have been fantastic during the rollout of the Pennies initiative.

“As a Charity, we must raise £11.2 million pounds each year, to keep our helicopters in the sky and rapid response vehicles on the road.

“Partnerships like this are key to enabling us to keep doing what we do.”

A NEW round of business grant funding has been launched to boost Pembrokeshire enterprises and help them grow and prosper.

UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund grants are now open and invite applications from the county’s entrepreneurs and companies.

Managed by Pembrokeshire County Council’s Business Development Team, the fund aims to foster a successful enterprising and entrepreneurial culture within the local economy.

Business Growth Grants of £1,000 to £32,500, Start Up Grants of £500 to £10,000, and Carbon Reduction Grants of £1,000 to £17,500 are open for applications.

The grants will be a contribution towards a business’ proposed scheme, with the applicant sourcing match funding of a minimum of 50% of the total sum from elsewhere.

Peter Lord, Business Support Team Principle Development Officer, said: “We have a diverse range of enterprises in the county which we are keen to support. These grants offer a welcome boost to help businesses grow and are part of our ongoing commitment to supporting economic development.

“The aim of the grant intervention is to strengthen local entrepreneurial ecosystems and support businesses at all stages of their development to start, sustain, grow, and innovate.”

The Pembrokeshire Business Growth Grant supports local businesses and inward investors to grow, prosper and be sustainable, creating and safeguarding jobs and therefore improving the local economy.

The Business Start Up Fund aims to support the creation of new enterprises, while the Carbon Reduction Fund provides capital support to businesses towards the purchase of renewable energy systems.

A new Micro Grant will launch in June, further details to be announced.

Grants will be open for applications until September 2025 or until the fund is fully allocated.

For more information, and to find out more about business support offered by the team, visit: Advice and support for your business – Pembrokeshire County Council