Neil Foden Was Not The First HeadMaster To Abuse Children In Gwynedd...

Neil Foden, the paedophile head teacher, jailed for sexual assaults against children in Gwynedd, was an abusive bully and seemingly immune from censure by those who should have stopped him.

From senior police officers and councillors who sat on the board of school governors, MP's and Assembly Members, Local Authority officers and their legal team, councillors of the Education/Economy scrutiny committee, the Education Workforce Council et al...

Parents raised complaints. Local media reported on his assault on a pupil at Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle. 
Nothing was done...

It was the action of a child that finally brought his reign of terror to an end. 
A child that, after blowing the whistle, had to hide in a cupboard whilst the social workers at cyngor Gwynedd waited for the correct form to be filled in before they allowed the police to be called to Ysgol Friars.

The Plaid Cymru controlled council has apologised for its failings
These inadequacies stem, in part, from recommendations not being implemented after the case of headteacher, John Owen, whose abuse of children in another part of Wales led to the Clywch Inquiry and Report.

From an article written by Gwyn Loader, Chief correspondent, Newyddion S4C -
The Our Bravery Brought Justice report into Foden's offending has an annex devoted to similarities with Owen's offending, with reviewers noting "it is appalling that the recommendations of this review reflect those of Clywch so closely and that 20 years later the key issues still have not been resolved or acted upon"...

His Honour Nicholas Cooke KC, a former Deputy High Court judge and counsel to the Clywch inquiry, called for a national audit to ensure the 2004 report and its recommendations "haven't gone to waste as it's been acquiring cobwebs".

"History keeps repeating itself," he said.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce3kexe2eeko

Neil Foden is not the first head teacher to be jailed for sexually abusing children in Gwynedd...
In 2025, an 87 year old former primary headmaster was arrested on historic abuse charges.

The ex teacher was jailed in 1964 for sexual offences against children at a school in Holyhead, on Anglesey, and struck off the teaching register.

In 1970, the paedophile was readmitted to the profession by the Department of Education.

In 1978, he again faced charges of indecency against children but was found not guilty by the Magistrates court in Blaenau Ffestiniog. 

The teacher was defended in court by Hugh Emlyn Hooson, QC, who was the Member of Parliament for Montgomeryshire. Hooson later became Baron Hooson - 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emlyn_Hooson,_Baron_Hooson

Why this case was not heard in the Crown court is not known nor why a QC would take on a case in a Magistrates court.

This teacher taught at Gellilydan primary school in Trawsfynydd, and was then promoted to headmaster of Tanygrisiau primary school...

In 1986, he was charged with sexual offences against children, found guilty and jailed - again...

Gwynedd council held an internal review into the case which was called out as a 'whitewash' by then councillor, Wil Pierce. Frustrated by the council's behaviour, Pierce is believed to have then contacted the Ombudsman.

A reminder that this case occurred at the same time Gwynedd council suspended the social worker, Alison Taylor, who blew the whistle on the abuse of children in the region's care homes. 

For reasons unknown, the authorities are acting with no urgency in providing this now aged paedophile's victims with the justice they deserve.  If he dies, does this mean that documents relating to the safeguarding failures will not be examined in a court of law..?

In 2017, a FOI request for the number of complaints against this teacher from both parents and the general public was mishandled and refused by the council, who finally told the requestor that the council 'do not have any information relating to any complaints.'

The council was also asked for the name of all of the schools where the teacher had been employed prior to his arrest in 1986.
Gwynedd council shut this down by replying with 'The Council does hold information about the schools but this information is being withheld under section 40(2) of the Act.'

A request for an internal review was ignored by cyngor Gwynedd's monitoring officer. 

Something is so very wrong within Gwynedd council...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neil Foden - Without Accountability Abuse Will Continue - Gwynedd Council...

Neil Foden, the paedophile headteacher, who was in charge of Ysgol Friars, Bangor and Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle in Penygroes was arrested in September, 2023 and jailed in 2024.
 
Many people in Gwynedd, including some councillors are of the belief that Foden was a one off. Abuse of children, especially of those in care in north Wales has been going on for decades.

The North Wales Child Abuse scandal...
Where children were abused in 'care' homes across Gwynedd, Clywd and Wrexham.
Gwynedd council sacked a social worker who blew the whistle on the abuse. 
This led to the Waterhouse inquiry and the Lost In Care Report, published in 2000. 

The Lost In Care report was reviewed in 2010 -  
'Lost in Care abuse report recommendations reviewed'
Sir Ronald will speak with health and social work professionals about the lessons learned and analyse whether local authorities across Wales are now developing and implementing effective care plans for looked-after children.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-11884852

In 2012, the scandal was raised by the government in Westminster - 
Theresa May, then Home Secretary, gave a statement - 
The recommendation was that there should not be a public inquiry but an examination of the work of private care homes and the social service departments in Gwynedd and Clwyd Councils.
This work revealed not only shortcomings in the protection of vulnerable children, but that the shortcomings had persisted even after the police investigation and subsequent prosecutions. 
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/historic-allegations-of-child-abuse-in-north-wales-home-secretarys-statement

Carwyn Jones, then First Minister for Wales, also gave a statement - 
It made extensive recommendations for improving child protection, many of which were subsequently implemented by the Welsh Government.   The Prime Minister has announced an inquiry to examine the extent to which the Waterhouse Report did what it was supposed to do.
https://www.gov.wales/written-statement-north-wales-child-abuse-allegations

Not forgetting Operation Pallial - 
In November 2012, Operation Pallial was set up to examine specific allegations of past child abuse in north Wales. This report looks at the early processes established by OperationPallial, including communications work, support for survivors, transition and the implications on children in present care settings in Wales - 
https://www.childcomwales.org.uk/2015/01/learning-the-lessons-operation-pallial/ 

Then there was the Macur Review laid before Parliament in 2016, with Plaid MP, Liz Saville Roberts leading the discussion - 
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cdp-2016-0070/

'Lessons not learnt' from report into sex abuse teacher.
The Welsh government said: "The recommendations from the Clywch report were implemented, and consistent national policies and procedures to safeguard children were introduced.

"The Our Bravery Brought Justice review found that despite there being clear processes in place, including those implemented following Clywch, there was a failure to apply them properly."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce3kexe2eeko

The Clywch report, from 2004, involved teacher, John Owen, who sexually abused pupils at Ysgol Gyfun Rhydfelen, near Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf. 

But how is it that so many senior people in Gwynedd failed to follow procedures?
Worse still - many simply ignored concerns raised...

What of the two police officers, Essie Ahari and Keith Horton, then chair and vice chair of the school governors at Ysgol Friars?

What of the senior officer within Gwynedd's legal department who sat in on the safeguarding meeting re Neil Foden in 2019? 

Sexual harassment in schools...
Delyth Lloyd Griffiths, was the senior safeguarding officer within the Education department before becoming a councillor in 2022.

Griffiths is named as the relevant officer in a report entitled 'Sexual harassment in schools' discussed at the Education/Economy scrutiny committee on the 8th, February, 2022. This report was in response to an Estyn report dated 2021 - 'We do not tell our teachers'

The report can be found in the agenda pack for the meeting here - 
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/documents/g4378/Public%20reports%20pack%2008th-Feb-2022%2013.30%20Education%20and%20Economy%20Scrutiny%20Committee.pdf?T=10

Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle...
This committee also failed the children by not taking action against Foden when the video of him appearing to grab a pupil by the scruff of the neck appeared online. The matter was raised at the meeting and answers were promised for the next scrutiny committee.

The next meeting scheduled for the 31, March, 2022 was cancelled.  

Sshh...
The council elections in May, 2022, meant a new scrutiny committee was formed. 
Five members sat on both the old and the new committees - they are Olaf Cai Larsen, Beth Lawton, Dewi Owen, Paul Rowlinson and Colette Owen (co-optee)
It is believed that the alleged assault by Foden was never mentioned again...

Since Foden's arrest in 2023, cyngor Gwynedd have suspended 3 members of school staff from Friars. 
Two other staff at different schools have also been suspended. 
No further details have been released by the council or NWP.

Extended Child Practice Review...
Were all of the abused children receiving 'care' from the council ?
Were any in foster care?
The head and assistant head of the children's SS are still 'absent from work'.

A Statutory Public Inquiry...
Dafydd Gibbard, ceo of the council, told a meeting in February, that a reply to the request for a public inquiry has been received from Welsh government but he has not yet shared the response...

Without accountability, the abuse will continue...

Something is very wrong within Gwynedd council...