A former college lecturer has been cleared of alleged unacceptable professional conduct after drinking alcohol on a trip to Berlin.
During a three-day Education Workforce Council (EWC) hearing, Geoffery Harper who taught media at Coleg Gwent until 2018, faced allegations of acting "inappropriately" on a trip to Berlin in April 2018 by drinking alcohol and behaving in a way that "fell short" of what was expected of him.
Mr Harper had also been accused of using a school project to set up a personal business and demonstrating a lack of "integrity and/or being dishonest" but the panel decided there was no case to answer regarding the two allegations.
On Wednesday, January 8, the fitness to practise committee, chaired by Steve Powell, concluded that while some of Mr Harper’s behaviour was "ill-judged" he hadn't breached college policy which allowed for "moderate drinking" in some circumstances. As a result he was cleared of the two remaining allegations.
Mr Harper said he was "relieved" by the decision.
At the hearing the panel was told that it was during an internal investigation into Mr Harper's involvement in a school project that allegations concerning his alcohol consumption in Berlin came to light.
Peter Britton, who had been on the trip and raised the matter with a colleague in April 2018, said one evening Mr Harper had stayed up until 4am drinking with the students, who were aged between 19 and 60, in the hotel and claimed Mr Harper drank beer and vodka at a bar in Berlin airport.
He said while all three staff members on the trip had an alcoholic drink with their main meals he thought Mr Harper’s behaviour had been “a little inappropriate”.
However he confirmed that on both occasions he hadn't seen how much alcohol Mr Harper had drunk and that the information was based on what he'd been told by students.
Mr Powell, who delivered the decision, said while staying up with students until the early hours was "ill-judged" Mr Harper hadn't acted inappropriately and that his drinking at Berlin airport was “modest given the amount of time the party was at the airport”.
He said Mr Harper hadn't breached the college’s policy on drinking alcohol on trips. He described the policy as “ambiguous” because it permitted moderate drinking if the teacher was off duty and if prior permission had been sought from a line manager. However he said it but wasn’t clear if the latter referred to students or teachers. He also noted that all staff on the trip had also drunk alcohol.
Speaking after the hearing Mr Harper said: “It’s a huge relief after waiting 18 months for the hearing. I can't wait to get back to teaching."
