Popular Wolverhampton teacher resigns after shooting incident
A teacher who was the subject of a campaign to be reinstated after he was sacked for shooting a student with a pellet gun in an experiment gone wrong has resigned.
Richard West was dismissed from St Peter's Collegiate School in January after the incident which took place in November last year.
It has been claimed on social media the popular teacher has resigned after failing to get an apology from the head teacher.
The school confirmed that he had handed in his resignation, but would not give any further details.
Carol Oliver, PA to the principal, said: "I can confirm that Mr West handed in his resignation which was entirely his own decision.
"I am not prepared to enter into any further discussions on the matter."
Mr West will leave the school at the end of the current term.
The teacher accidentally shot the 17-year-old pupil Ben Barlow in the leg in the freak accident, but he started up a Facebook campaign to get his teacher his job back.
He claimed he would have suffered more damage from a safety pin.
The Facebook page Bring Back Westy posted on Friday night saying a source had told them that the teacher has resigned.
The post said: "Mr West has made the decision solely by himself to resign with immediate effect.
"A source tells us that this is due to to the way the school has treated him since his return and the pure lack of any apology.
"We know that the investigation was not carried out professionally and we stand by his decision to resign through all of this. Many students have already written cards and wished Mr West the best for his future.
"Mr West is an inspiration to us all and will continue to inspire people and ourselves for the rest of his life.
"The school is losing one if it's best ever teachers and it is devastating to see him leave. We wish Mr West the best of luck for his future and will miss him dearly."
Mike Warren posted on the page saying: "Respect to Mr West for being true to himself and maintaining his dignity.
"I can't say enough in praise of those who lead the campaign to keep his excellent reputation from being besmirched."
In March, an appeal ruled that Mr West could return to the school with immediate effect.
