HEADTEACHER Trystan Williams has vowed to clear his name after it emerged that he has been sacked as principal of the Springfields Academy in Calne.

The award-winning head said he had no grudges against the school, but would not go quietly.

Mr Williams was suspended from the school for students with complex learning, emotional and behavioural difficulties in October 2013 after an alleged assault on a pupil.

A year later the Crown Prosecution Service announced that no charges would be brought against him or his vice principal James Lynch, who had also been suspended from his post.

Mr Williams learned on Tuesday that he had lost an appeal to the school governors against their decision not to reinstate him and he said he would be taking his case to an Employment Tribunal.

Mr Williams, who has received more than 200 letters backing him and his family, expressed his appreciation to parents and governors for their continued support.

He said: “I am going to a tribunal; I’m appreciative the support of parents and governors and I wish everyone at Springfields all the best for the future. I have no issues with the academy but I am not going away quietly.

“The fight is not against the school it’s against the system. I will take it to the European Court of Human Rights if I have to, I will go to the highest court in the land to clear my name but I have no grudges with the academy at all.

“Most governors have been wonderful and should be commended on their support to me and my family."

The news of his sacking has caused uproar among parents, whose online petition to get Mr Williams reinstated has been signed by more than 650 people.

Parent Jennifer Slade said: “I’m absolutely disgusted with what’s going on at Springfield School.

“There are so many parents and children who are behind him.

“I don’t know how to tell my son, it’s going to have a devastating effect on him.”

“The governors should represent the students and the parents, why are they not listening to us?

“It was a very special school which does not exist anywhere else in the county, it was an outstanding school set apart from anything else in the country.”

The school, rated outstanding by Ofsted in February 2013, won Outstanding Special Needs and Overall Outstanding School of the Year awards at the 2012 TES Awards under Mr Williams’s leadership.

Another parent, Kirsty Ellicock, said: "Mr Williams is inspirational. He did so much for the children I just think it's an outrage . It's going to have a big impact on all the children because of everything he did for the children and how great he was.

"I just think it's a real shame the school has not felt the same since he has gone."

Ninna Gibson, chairman of governors at Springfields, said: “We are now in a position to provide information about the long term absence of the principal and vice principal of the academy.

“We can confirm that both are no longer employed by the academy. For reasons of confidentiality we will not be providing detailed information about why they have left.

“The interim staffing arrangements that have been in place since October 2013 will remain unchanged for the foreseeable future. We will give consideration in due course to making permanent appointments.

“We would like to thank everyone for their support during this period.”

A statement from the National Association of Headteachers (NAHT) said: "Trystan Williams, a popular and successful local headteacher, has been dismissed from his post with immediate effect.

"This was for failing to remedy an omission of one of the documents in a referral of an incident to the Local Authority Designated Officer.

"Mr Williams has cooperated fully with the disciplinary process and maintains that the panel failed to take into account his previous outstanding record of achievement and perfect disciplinary record.

"This is devastating for him and his family - as well as for many staff, parents and pupils of the school."