Sacked primary school head may fight on

Paul Sylvester, who was headteacher at Hoyland Common Primary School, Barnsley, was finally sacked last November after working at the school for more than 30 years. He had been suspended for several months.

His dismissal from his £60,000-a-year post came after Barnsley Council carried out a series of disciplinary hearings. An appeal brought earlier this year was rejected by the authority.

Speaking at his home in Cawthorne, Barnsley, Mr Sylvester said he could not discuss the details because he was “still considering his options”, including the possibility of going to an employment tribunal.

In its latest Ofsted inspection, carried out in January 2008 when Mr Sylvester was still in charge, inspectors described 400-pupil Hoyland Common Primary School as outstanding.

The school moved into a new building as a result of a PFI agreement in 2007 and a SureStart children’s centre opened on the site in Sheffield Road the following year.

It is thought there were a number of issues with the new building and the way the centre operated.

In response to questions about the case, Barnsley Council would only say: “The acting co-headteachers at Hoyland Common Primary are Tom Banham and Sue Harrison, who are responsible to the governors.”

A council spokesman refused to say on what grounds Mr Sylvester was sacked, who heard his appeal, when a final decision was made and whether the case was referred to the General Teaching Council.