THE headteacher of a Monmouthshire special school is under suspension, following an alleged assault on a teenage boy.

Paul Absalom was suspended from Chepstow’s Mounton House School after Gwent Police began an investigation into the incident, the National Association of Headteachers (NAHT) told the Argus.

The alleged incident took place at the school on June 29.

A Gwent Police spokeswoman said: "A 48-year-old man has subsequently been spoken to in connection with the incident and enquiries are ongoing."

Monmouthshire council runs the school and confirmed a staff member has been suspended following the alleged incident.

The NAHT’s regional officer for Wales, Anne Hovey, said the association is representing Mr Absalom, who is a member, and believes a tribunal will not be necessary because evidence shows he has no case to answer.

She said: "We’re absolutely robust in our defence of him."

Ms Hovey added that the association feels the police have taken "far too long" to investigate a single alleged incident.

The Gwent Police spokeswoman added: "We will always conduct a thorough investigation and if anyone has any concerns we will be happy to discuss it with them directly."

The school caters for around 40 boys, who are aged between 11 and 16 and suffer from complex behavioural, social or emotional difficulties.

Among the problems pupils suffer from are attention deficit hyperactivity disorders and learning difficulties.

The school offers both day and overnight pupil places and has six care units, each housing of six or seven beds, to supervise the boys 24 hours a day.

Pupils are referred to the school by local authorities and children are accepted from areas outside of Monmouthshire.