PE teacher at £48,000-a-year private school resigned after being investigated for showing schoolgirls her underwear, disciplinary hearing told

A PE teacher at a private boarding school with an annual income of £48,000 resigned after being investigated for showing her underwear to schoolgirls, a disciplinary hearing was told.

Lowri Williams, 27, was accused of ‘failing to maintain professional boundaries’ with students during his time as a teacher and rugby coach at Llandovery College in Carmarthenshire.

He allegedly encouraged a student to lie to his housewife, discussed his personal relationships with students and showed them which underwear he was wearing the next day.

The hearing was told that he also allowed students into his hotel room, opened the hotel room door to a student who was not fully dressed, and asked the students if they were seeing anyone.

He also talked to students about the weekend and showed students videos of his nights out.

Moreover, Ms. Williams was also accused of ignoring safety protocols for allegedly allowing students to continue playing rugby despite hitting their heads.

The Education Workforce Council heard how the school’s under-16 team traveled to London on March 17 to take part in the Rosslyn Park tournament.

A student named Student E remembered that they went to the teachers’ room for 15 minutes because they were nervous about the tournament.

Image: Llandovery College, a £48,000-a-year boarding school in Wales

He said Williams folded clothes on his bed, including his underwear, while wearing a T-shirt and shorts.

Student E said another teenager said her underwear was ‘nice’ and Ms Williams argued about their relationship status.

He said Ms Williams told them she was talking to someone but did not go into further detail.

Simon Bodley, the school’s former medical center manager, told the panel that the usual protocol for such away matches would be for him to receive a text or email from physiotherapists informing him of any injuries.

However, he himself said that this did not happen, and after the tournament five girls approached him with injuries, including head injuries.

The board heard one student, identified as student F, said he was kicked in the head during the game.

Mr Bodley recalled that the girl felt “almost forced to play”.

Llandovery’s former vice-chairman Johanna Edwards told the EWC she had launched an internal investigation into injuries allegedly not reported correctly.

The EWC heard that during the course of this investigation Ms Williams resigned from her position at Llandovery.

The hearing heard how all the girls looked in good spirits in the minibus and were singing along the way. The panel was shown a video of them singing in the van and Ms Hands said they did not act that way if they were injured.

Ms Williams was said to have ‘good relationships with students’. ‘He did everything I asked for and more and put the girls first. ‘He crafted his role with good humor and dedication,’ he added.

The teacher has nine allegations against him. The allegations relate to alleged behavior at the London tournament, as well as a match at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff and a netball match at Christ College Brecon. All events took place between September 2023 and March 2024.

The trial continues.