Orla Crawshaw is the deputy head of Weatherfield High who had to deal with a formal complaint made against new teacher Daniel Osbourne by parent David Platt.
For some time, David's son Max Turner had been underperforming at school and his attitude towards his teachers, Daniel in particular, had been growing more and more disrespectful. David asked Daniel to provide home tutoring which he refused, causing resentment as Daniel was perfectly happy to provide help to Summer Spellman with her application to Oxford University. The matter reached a crisis point when Daniel was alone with Max in a classroom and the boy took the opportunity to steal his wallet from his jacket as it hung on a chair. Although he fervently denied any wrongdoing, Max was kept in detention by Daniel until he confessed but the pupil was annoyingly nonchalant about the issue and happy to wait it out, until Daniel had to go home to see to his infant son Bertie.
Back on the street, Daniel grabbed Max's bag to search it and a tussle ensued which an outraged David interrupted. He took his son's side while a more knowing Shona Platt was dubious at best about Max's innocence. An attempt to discuss the matter reasonably failed when Daniel again refused to provide home tutoring and David upped the stakes by making his complaint to the school.
Daniel was summoned in for a meeting with Orla and David where the complaint was repeated. Asked by a mediating Orla what he wanted to achieve from the meeting, David asked for an apology and an end to the "victimisation" of his son. Daniel had no choice but to agree that his actions violated the teacher/pupil code of conduct and apologised for grabbing Max but refused to do the same where the matter of accusing him of stealing the wallet was concerned. As tempers grew, David demanded the teacher be sacked and Orla called an end to the now unproductive meeting.
After David had stormed out, Orla counselled Daniel that his behaviour had not been good and he ought to consider an apology taking into account the bigger picture and the possible loss of his job. Later one, and after giving it some thought, Daniel agreed with her, only to be told that the matter was now out of her hands as David had reported the assault to the police.
All was resolved when Dev Alahan told David that Max had tried to use a declined debit card in the corner shop and he realised that his son had stolen the wallet and its contents after all. The complaints were dropped though Daniel had to hear the truth from Dev and not through David.
Two months later, she warned Summer to be a "little lighter on the warpaint tomorrow" when she caught sight of her overly made-up face, not realising that the young girl had a crush on Daniel and was trying to attract his attention.
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List of appearances[]
2021
2022
2023
2024