ALLEGATIONS of incompetency made against a former Chepstow School teacher have been dropped following a three-year battle.

Kathryn Currie has spoken of her "delight" that "justice has been served" following a General Teaching Council for Wales Professional Competence Committee hearing last week.

In the final stage of the three-day hearing last Friday (22nd May), the committee ruled the 'facts not proven' in relation to an allegation of 'serious professional incompetence' registered against Mrs Currie after proceedures began in 2012.

Mrs Currie began teaching English at Chepstow School in 1986 and became head of the department in 1990. She remained in this post for 24 years before losing an appeal and being sacked by the school in January 2014.

An online campaign set up at the time by a former colleague to keep Mrs Currie in her position, received more than 1,000 signatures in the first 48 hours.

Speaking after the hearing, Mrs Currie said: "This all began as an informal capability review, I never imagined I would be involved in all this.

"It has been a very stressful experience, and has had a massive impact on my life.

"I have felt very isolated, and I always thought my side wasn't being heard. Judgements were being made against me without taking my views into account.

"At one point in the process, I thought I'd never work in education again, but teaching is my life. It's a vocation, not just a job."

Mrs Currie currently teaches at Llantarnam School in Cwmbran, and will be moving to a school in Cardiff next year.

She added: "At the hearing, all the evidence was investigated very thoroughly for the first time, and at last it was looked at independently.

"Justice has finally been done."

Allegations against Mrs Currie are said to have included: Failure to evaluate pupil progress and outcomes at key stages three, four and five; and failure to fulfil the basic role of a curriculum leader.

The English teacher was represented at last week's Cardiff hearing by the NASUWT union, who argued that Mrs Currie's departure from the school was a loss to pupils and staff.

Attending the hearing was Geraint Davies from NASUWT Cymru.

He said: "I'm so pleased for Mrs Currie. Justice was done last week with the decision by the GTCW that all the 15 allegations against her were not proven.

"Her vindication raises a number of questions as to why she was placed in this situation after over twenty years of unblemished service at the school. They are questions which the governing body should address as a matter of urgency"

Former colleagues of Mrs Currie were present to speak in her favour at the hearing, and have been "very supportive throughout".

Monmouthshire County Council was unable to comment at the time of going to press