Teacher's 'hours online in class'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/wales/7749167.stm

Version 0 of 1.

A teacher has been accused of spending hours on the internet during lesson time, buying and selling goods and using social networking sites.

Sian Mediana, 40, of Ogmore Vale, near Bridgend, denies professional misconduct at a hearing of the General Teaching Council for Wales.

She resigned from Fairwater Primary School, Cardiff, after an investigation into misuse of the class computer.

She taught pupils aged between five and 11. The hearing continues.

The disciplinary hearing in Cardiff was told that Ms Mediana, 40, spent up to four hours a day tapping at a computer on her desk, with her pupils just feet away.

Two teaching assistants said she was often seen "trawling the internet".

If she sold something on eBay we would turn it into activity for the children and take them with us to the post office Teaching assistant Karen Lawrence

Colleague Karen Lawrence said: "Sian had a computer on a desk and she spent a considerable amount of time during the day using it.

"I was aware she was using it for personal reasons - she was buying and selling items on eBay.

"If she sold something on eBay we would turn it into activity for the children and take them with us to the post office.

"If she found something she wanted to buy she would ask our advice about it.

"Sian is quite a strong character and can be quite intimidating. She was also my line manager and I didn't feel comfortable raising my concerns about it with her."

Surveillance

Ms Lawrence and colleague Wendy Jones told the hearing that Ms Mediana was the only member of staff who used the computer on her desk.

The hearing was told the local education authority carried out a four-day surveillance after being contacted by headteacher Heather Thomas about the level of internet usage at the school.

One check, the hearing was told, found Ms Mediana visited LloydsTSB, egg.com, Virgin Money and Friends Reunited during a three-and-a-half-hour period.

Miss Mediana later resigned from her post, where she was also in charge of the school's behavioural unit.

The hearing continues.