Ashley Yates
The headteacher of The Tynings Primary School in Staple Hill appeared in court yesterday charged with three counts of making indecent images of children and two counts of voyeurism.
Ashley Yates, 45, from Filton, was remanded in custody by Bristol magistrates pending an appearance at Bristol Crown Court on 19th July.
In a letter to parents the chair of governors Sarah Warren said: “I am writing to inform you that Ashley Yates has appeared in court late this afternoon (Wednesday 29th June), charged with counts of making indecent images of children and voyeurism.
“He has been remanded in custody and there is an ongoing police investigation. He has been suspended from school.
“While the investigation is under way I am legally bound not to comment further.
“I hope you will understand that, despite your obvious concerns, we cannot go into any further detail at the moment and we will remain guided by police in terms of our comments as we do not want to jeopardise their work.
“We will continue to work closely with South Gloucestershire Council and the police.
“Further, it will not help the police investigation for there to be any speculation on social media or anywhere else as to any of the details of this matter.
“We know that this will be of concern to you so we will be organising a meeting for parents and further details about the arrangements this will follow.”
Today she sent parents another letter, saying: “Following my message to you yesterday, I thought it was important to provide an update to you today. This is an ongoing investigation and we are continuing to work closely with the police and South Gloucestershire Council. Trained staff from South Gloucestershire Council offering support have already been in the school today to provide additional support to parents and staff.
“We know that you will be frustrated by the lack of information so far but we will keep you updated when we can. We know that you will be concerned about your child during this time but we would like to reassure you that the school is open as usual and staff are working very hard to continue with the normal routine.
“Additional staff will continue to be available at the beginning and end of school if you would like to talk to someone about the situation. Mr Yates has not been on school premises since the allegations came to light.”
Angela Berger has been appointed as acting headteacher at the school in Eastleigh Close which was rated as Good by Ofsted last year. The inspectors praised the strong leadership of the headteacher and senior leaders in raising standards in pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching.
