A HEAD teacher suspended for 18 months after an allegation that she slapped a pupil says she is considering writing a book about her experience.

Marjorie Evans told the Argus it would give her side of the story.

Mrs Evans was suspended from St Mary' Junior School, Caldicot, in September 1999, after claims were made that she had hit a ten-year-old child.

Convicted at Abergavenny magistrates court of the offence in the summer of 2000, but cleared on appeal at Cardiff crown court a few months later, it was on March 21 last year that she was finally able to return to her school. Mrs Evans, 57, of Castle Oak, Usk, said a book might be written when she has time to seriously consider it.

She said: "I think it would be probably of interest to a lot of the teaching profession and might give them some insight into how to remain positive in difficult circumstances. "Several people have asked if I want a ghost writer and several people have asked if I will write a book but I haven't made any commitments yet."

Although this week marks the first anniversary of Mrs Evans' emotional return to school she says she has not had the time for celebrations.

She said she had been busy overseeing a parents' evening, preparing for an address at an education law conference and is expecting to go to London to appear on GMTV tomorrow.

Mrs Evans added that all thoughts of the past year's events had also been put to one side as she and her staff had been busy preparing for a recent successful school inspection.

Despite what she went through, Mrs Evans said she has no qualms about what happened to her being talked about openly when discipline is discussed. She said: "When I have discussed disciplinary policy it's discussed fully. "I want things discussed openly."