Bridgnorth teacher in pellet gun row resigns
A teacher who youngsters campaigned to have reinstated after he was sacked for shooting a student with a pellet gun in an experiment that went wrong has now resigned.
Richard West, who lives in Bridgnorth, was dismissed from St Peter's Collegiate School in Wolverhampton in January after the incident which took place during a science class last November but returned to work in March after an appeal.
It has been claimed on social media that the popular teacher has resigned after failing to get an apology from the head teacher.
The school confirmed that he had handed in his resignation, but would not give any further details.
Carol Oliver, PA to the principal, said: "I can confirm that Mr West handed in his resignation which was entirely his own decision.
"I am not prepared to enter into any further discussions on the matter."
Mr West will leave the school at the end of the current term.
The teacher accidentally shot 17-year-old pupil Ben Barlow in the freak accident when the gun was discharged in a science lesson but the pellet rebounded off a desk and hit him in the leg.
Ben started a Facebook campaign to get his teacher his job back, claiming he would have suffered more damage from a safety pin.
The Facebook page Bring Back Westy posted on Friday night saying a source had said the teacher had resigned.
The post said: "Mr West has made the decision solely by himself to resign with immediate effect. A source tells us that this is due to to the way the school has treated him since his return and the pure lack of any apology.
"We know that the investigation was not carried out professionally and we stand by his decision to resign through all of this.
"Many students have already written cards and wished Mr West the best for his future.
"Mr West is an inspiration to us all and will continue to inspire people and ourselves for the rest of his life.
"The school is losing one of it's best ever teachers and it is devastating to see him leave.
"We wish Mr West the best of luck for his future and will miss him dearly."
Mike Warren posted on the page saying: "Respect to Mr West for being true to himself and maintaining his dignity. I can't say enough in praise of those who led the campaign to keep his excellent reputation from being besmirched."
In March, an appeal ruled Mr West could return to the school with immediate effect. A statement from the academy school's governing body at the time said: "The Appeals Committee made the decision to reinstate Mr West with the immediate effect."
The statement added: "In being reinstated Mr West has given assurances that lessons have been learned, he will ensure complete compliance with all safety procedures and controlled conditions and ensure the correct reporting procedures are followed."
