Gavin Dunsmuir was found to be in a relationship with Megan Reid in 2015 while he worked at Largs Academy in North Ayrshire and she was a pupil there for over 16 years. The 50-year-old went on to leave his wife and move in with Ms Reid, now 25, before marrying her last year and having two children together. Dunsmuir has now been removed from the teaching register after the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) launched an investigation into the couple’s relationship. They found that Dunsmuir formed an inappropriate relationship with Ms Reed by going to a pub with her and other former pupils. They also found that he had taken Ms Reid to a colleague’s house and spent time with her and his daughter. On Friday, the GTCS made its decision, stating: “The panel found that the teacher’s conduct falls significantly short of the standards expected of a registered teacher and he is therefore unfit to teach. “The committee should order that his name be removed from the register of teachers.”
The research started in 2018
GTCS has been investigating Dunsmuir since 2018 – with the hearing reconvening this week to hear further evidence from a former colleague and Ms Reid’s father. Giving evidence on Thursday, Donald Reid, 62, said: “I am very upset about the situation. When people ask about my daughter, I struggle not to tell them she ran off with her teacher. “I saw two cards in her room, one was a birthday card and the other was for leaving school. She had gotten cards from other teachers that were appropriate, the one that wasn’t appropriate was from Mr. Dunsmuir. He had listed her as Meg Mog [in the card]. “I called Heather Burns [Largs Academy headteacher] and made my feelings clear, confirmed that the teacher under investigation was allegedly having an affair with Megan. “He said the reason I hadn’t been informed was because Megan was over 16, I felt I was and still am Megan’s father and to find out through tittle tattle I thought she was poor.”
“I was in a bit of a shock”
GTCS also heard from Pauline Hughes, former RE head teacher at Largs Academy, who said: “I remember the display board on the door was covered with a flag. It was stuck over the glass. I walked into the room and it was very clear that I had interrupted them. They were sitting across the table with their heads bumping into each other. I was in a bit of shock or denial. “I just didn’t want to think anything bad was going on – I was wrong, I should have been proactive and got the little girl out of there.” The pair’s relationship came to light after they were spotted in the Lounge pub in Largs, North Ayrshire by a fellow teacher at Largs Academy. Dunsmuir’s behavior raised alarm bells for the off-duty teacher, who said his body language with the student made them “look like a couple”. Dunsmuir did not attend any part of the hearing or arrange legal representation on his behalf.
