Accused teacher can work again AN East Lancashire teacher suspended on full pay for six years after being accused of sexual abuse by a teenage pupil has won the right to reinstatement.

English teacher Anthony McNally, 51, has had the allegation hanging over him since 1995. He was cleared of the accusation in 1996 by a disciplinary panel but Education Secretary David Blunkett ordered another hearing.

Mr Justice Langley, sitting in the High Court in London, ruled last year that Mr Blunkett had power to intervene but today the Court of Appeal reversed the decision. Three appeal judges quashed the Education Secretary's decision of March 1999 to order another hearing and reinstated the school disciplinary panel's finding that there had been no misconduct by Mr McNally.

Mr McNally, who taught at Woodhey High School, Ramsbottom, from 1979 until the allegations by a 15-year-old boy in 1995, can now apply for reinstatement.

The teacher, from Tottington, who was not in court today to hear of his victory, has said his life and career had been "blighted" by the untrue allegations.

His union, the National Association of Schoolmasters and Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT), which has backed his legal battle, condemned the bar on his teaching as "a gross waste of money".

Investigations by the police, the NSPCC and school governors had all cleared the teacher of the allegations of "inappropriate touching" made against him.

In the summer of 1996, the school governors' disciplinary panel exonerated Mr McNally, who expected to return to the school within weeks. But the local education authority had him re-suspended after the child protection committee expressed concern about the case.

He remained suspended while the LEA asked the then Conservative Education Secretary Gillian Shephard to consider placing the teacher on "List 99," a statuary blacklist, even though he had been exonerated.

A spokesperson for the education authority Bury Metro said: "We are now considering closely the judgement given by the Court of Appeal before taking any future action and also await further direction from the Secretary of State in this matter."