News emerged in the Times newspaper and others, not least the Daily Mail and the Daily Post, that the school's head has been sending what are referred to as 'flirty messages' to six female students. One of 436 comments on the Daily Mail website one stated, 'Why on earth would ANY teacher or principal be texting a student is beyond me. Totally inappropriate'. Another added that this was 'a massive safeguarding issue. It's one of the first and basic rules'.
On the same site came a very small and possibly oblique crumb of comfort for head Toby Belfield, though: '... their working day doesn't expose them to lots of outside adults, it's spent with young people and children, many of whom they may get on extremely well with—better than their colleagues. It creates a little bubble where the boundaries are blurred and there's no outsider keeping the moral compass straight'.
Belfield courts controversy. In 2018, he suggested that study and dates don't mix, threatening to expel those caught. In 2015, he sparked a storm over the Welsh language. Next, he threatened to expel students who weren't up to the top grades, after the first year of sixth form. Now, he's in the wonton soup again. He engaged in a local controversy over Ysgol Brynhyfryd's new uniforms, where he was supportive of Brynhyfryd's new head.
His record otherwise now counts for naught. But, let's not forget that Belfield's made a difference to the academic standing of the school and its finances. He inherited a dismal position and has turned things around, largely based on the influx of far eastern students in the sixth form. Ruthin School is now seventh in the UK in terms of A level results, thanks to small class sizes but, let's not forget, also because of the number of extremely bright & capable students selected, who are very motivated, willing to learn and, especially, don't actually require much teaching. This is why the school's management board has supported Belfield in the current crisis. To date, at any rate. But that board is also under criticism in terms of safeguarding.
If parents begin to question whether the school is right for their child, this will have significant repercussions for the local economy. Schola Ruthinensis is a significant employer. We doubt that either scandal will result in a reduction in the number of prized overseas students who come to Schola Ruthinensis. It may put off a number of locals but who among us can afford the £15,000 p.a day fees anyway? Few can and do and this is why the emphasis, these days, is on international students. My guess is, however, that academic success will trump safeguarding concerns.