'Head teacher said he imagined me in a bikini'

Further allegations of inappropriate behaviour have been made by female staff members against a head teacher who was convicted of sexual harassment earlier this year.

Gregory Hill was jailed for 20 weeks in August after he was found to have made romantic advances over an 11-month period towards a 23-year-old trainee, while working at Howard Junior School in King's Lynn, Norfolk.

Hannah Gidman, 26, worked at the school in 2019, and said that Hill also acted inappropriately towards her, such as telling her he had imagined her in a bikini.

The BBC has spoken to four other women who claimed they experienced similar behaviour from Hill when working at the school. Hill did not respond to the allegations.

Ms Gidman had recently qualified as a teacher when she moved to the UK from Australia in 2019.

She was 22 when she began working at Howard Junior School and said her first interaction with Hill was positive but "intense".

She said problems began when she went out for dinner with colleagues and Hill, then 44, complained that he had not been invited.

“That was the first red flag,” she said.

She added that the head teacher later told her he could imagine her on the beach in a bikini, which she said made her feel "icky" and "uncomfortable".

Ms Gidman said Hill would make "sexualising comments" towards her “at least once a week”. She did not complain at the time as she was worried that it could lead to her losing her job.

“I don’t think anyone should have to go through what me and other people I worked with went through,” she said.

Ms Gidman did not tell the police and Hill did not respond to the BBC’s invitation to comment on any of the allegations.

In addition to Ms Gidman's claims, four other women - who have asked to remain anonymous - said they experienced inappropriate behaviour from Hill when they worked with him.

None of these women were involved in Hills' conviction for harassment in August.

They all allege Hill would frequently comment on their looks.

“My looks should have nothing to do with how I'm doing my job,” one of the women said.

One woman told the BBC that Hill made them constantly feel “uncomfortable”, and his conduct made her leave her job, which she "loved".

The BBC asked the women why they did not make complaints at the time, and they said they were worried it could lead them to lose their jobs.

Hill did not respond to the BBC’s invitation to comment on any of the allegations.

Earlier this year Hill's trial heard how he pursued a relationship with the trainee teacher and messaged her that he had "fallen in love" with her.

He also pressurised, controlled and isolated the trainee from other members of staff, the court heard.

In addition to his prison sentence, Hill was given a four-year stalking protection order, which prohibits him from contacting the trainee or entering her place of work, along with other restrictions around his use of social media and mobile phones.

Hill was also found guilty of resisting arrest after police body-worn camera footage was shown of him lying on the ground and wrestling with officers.

Since December 2023, Howard Junior School has been a part of a Eastern Multi-Academy Trust (EMAT). When Hill was head teacher it was a single academy school and he was the CEO of the trust as well as the head teacher.

As a single academy school, any complaints about the head teacher would have needed to be raised with the board of trustees, who are responsible for running the school.

All of the women the BBC has spoken to said they feared that Hill would have known about any issues that were raised about him to the board.

Scott Lyons, the Norfolk branch secretary National Education Union, said the single academy model did not work to protect staff.

He said any head teachers who also served as CEO of the trust could act without "oversight or scrutiny".

“Somebody that knows the system... can very quickly shut down any challenge,” he said.

The Department for Education said school staff should feel safe and supported at work.

It added that any concerns about leadership could be raised "through the school’s internal staff grievance process, their trade unions, or direct to the Department of Education”.

Ms Gidman now works in Australia and said she was speaking out against Hill because the complaints system needed to change.

A spokesperson for EMAT said when it took over after Mr Hill's arrest it urgently reviewed safeguarding, complaints and whistleblowing procedures.

It said it was appalled by the allegations and commended the victim for their courage in bringing him to justice.