Married headteacher ‘pulled down pants’ and stated ‘examine this miss’ to colleague
James Richards, headteacher at Cadle Primary School in Swansea, allegedly exposed himself to a colleague during a school trip and then again in his office
A married headteacher allegedly exposed his flaccid penis to a fellow teacher, telling her “inspect this miss”, a professional standards panel has heard.
The alleged incident involving headteacher James Richards, reportedly took place during a residential trip when the two teachers were alone inspecting pupils’ rooms. Becoming emotional at times, the teacher told the Education Workforce Council Wales committee that shortly after the incident, he indecently exposed himself to her in his office at Cadle Primary, stating: “I love my wife and children but I just cannot help myself,” before “laughing goofily”.
The teacher, referred to only as Colleague A, said that she believed she had a good professional relationship with Richards prior to the incident, reports WalesOnline. Recounting the first incident, she stated that Richards exposed himself to her while they were alone in a child’s room they were inspecting one morning during a school residential trip with 30 pupils. The staff had been awarding prizes for the tidiest rooms.
“We did tidy room inspections. I went with James Richards to inspect and we had a clipboard each. James Richards was behind me and we went into two rooms.
“I had a sense he was behind me. However, I made a comment about how many marks (to give) when I turned around James Richards said ‘inspect this miss’ and put his flaccid penis on the clipboard.”
She added that he then “laughed in a goofy way” and she left the room “shocked and shaken”.
The teacher revealed she shared what had happened with a colleague that same day but subsequently attempted to suppress the disturbing incident, a decision she now deeply regrets. Whilst his behaviour remained appropriate for the remainder of that week, he later exposed himself once more and made sexual comments, the panel was told.
Two months following the alleged incident during the school trip, Colleague A stated she visited Cadle Primary School during the summer break to set up her classroom for the upcoming term. Upon knocking on the headteacher’s office door, Richards invited her in and allegedly exposed himself to her again, she claimed.
“I knocked on the door and when I entered James Richards was there with his flaccid penis with a pair of glasses over it in disguise. He said: ‘I love my wife and children but I just cannot help myself.’ I believe he laughed and I walked out.”
The teacher became emotional whilst giving her testimony, explaining that Richards continued making sexualised remarks towards her when the new term commenced and would consistently “laugh in a goofy way afterwards”. She stated he never offered an apology for, or acknowledged, his conduct but she believed his comments about his wife and children suggested he understood it was inappropriate.
In subsequent years, a string of additional complaints were lodged against Richards, including allegations that he asked another staff member to compare her breasts to his wife’s breasts and/or that he exposed himself again and displayed a phone photograph of his penis to a colleague. On one occasion, officers questioned a staff member regarding their grievance against Richards but failed to interview the headteacher or pursue any further measures, the panel was told.
Years following the school excursion, Colleague A revealed to the hearing that she arrived at school in September 2021 to discover that Richards had been removed from the premises and an inquiry into his conduct had commenced following complaints from another staff member.
She explained that she subsequently chose to inform the chair of governors about his behaviour towards her years earlier. She expressed remorse for not raising the matter sooner, particularly given allegations that the headteacher had later exposed himself to others.
Colleague A stated she had previously remained silent due to fears of not being believed or jeopardising the career she had worked tirelessly to build. She mentioned that she had found Richards pleasant and personable before he had exposed himself to her, and was aware he was “a family man”.
“He was a family man with two children and a wife and came across as a devoted family man and approachable head, that’s how he portrayed himself,” she informed the hearing.
The panel also heard claims that Richards, who was characterised as “jokey” and “quite jovial” at work, subsequently exposed himself to another colleague during a virtual meeting throughout the pandemic. EWC presenting officer Sara Lewis revealed that there had also been complaints years earlier from another staff member.
In 2015, police had spoken to Colleague E following up complaints, but decided not to interview the headteacher himself or take any further action. To date, no criminal charges have been brought against Richards, Ms Lewis informed the panel.
However, during the internal investigation in 2021, Colleague A and others came forward alleging that Richards had also exposed himself to them on school grounds and on at least one occasion during the school day. These matters were eventually reported to the EWC Wales, the professional registering body for education staff.
Ms Lewis stated that Richards, who was neither present nor represented at the hearing, did not fully engage with the school’s internal investigation in 2021 and had refused to be interviewed citing health issues.
A Swansea Council fraud team was called in to investigate and filmed the headteacher playing golf while he was on sick leave claiming cognitive and physical issues. The footage, which showed the headteacher striding across a golf course with a caddy and taking swings with his golf club, was shown during the hearing.
Richards was formally suspended from his post on September 13 2021 and dismissed in 2024.
All of the allegations are taken as denied by Richards as he was not present and not represented at the hearing and has not responded to the EWC, the committee was told.
The hearing continues.
