Roseland teacher banned for life from classroom (From This is The West Country)

Roseland teacher banned for life from classroom

11:18am Thursday 3rd January 2013 in Cornwall

A Roseland College teacher has been banned from the classroom for life after a hearing found he stroked the leg of a female pupil, sent an inappropriate text message and had pornography on a school computer.

A professional conduct panel of the Teaching Agency convened in December 2012 to consider the case of 53-year-old teacher Nigel Read.

The panel considered the allegations that Mr Read was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct, in that while employed at Roseland Community College, Tregony, Cornwall between 2008 and 2010, he stroked the leg of a female pupil, sent an inappropriate text message of a sexual nature regarding school business to a student's parent, allowed his college laptop to be used by other people contrary to the Acceptable Use Policy he had signed about its use and that he stored inappropriate material on his college laptop.

The panel found that on the on the balance of probabilities the stroking of the leg took place, however it was unable to, and was not asked to, attribute a motive to this behaviour and that due to insufficient evidence, they were not able to conclude that this was a deliberate act by Mr Read. The report adds that Mr Read accepts that the touching took place.

The panel also found that the accusation regarding the inappropriate text message was proved, and that while “a communication between two adults”, the content was, “inappropriate as the text related to a professional matter and should have been drafted on a professional level not a personal one”.

The accusation of allowing the laptop to be used and the inappropriate matter was also proved, with “screenshots showing inappropriate material of a pornographic nature”.

The panel concluded that it was satisfied that “the factual allegations found proved amount to unacceptable professional conduct.

Adding: “In our judgment the behaviour demonstrated is misconduct of a serious nature that falls significantly short of the standard of behaviour expected of a teacher. Mr Read has clearly breached the following elements of the Department's published Teaching Standards.”

Recommending a ban, the panel said it was concerned that Mr Read did not engage in the proceedings and showed, “ no real insight into his behaviour”.

It added: “He has indicated no remorse either at the disciplinary interview at the school and through the course of the Teaching Agency's proceedings. This assists the panel in reaching the view that there is an ongoing possibility of behaviour of this kind recurring which would put children at risk and the reputation of the profession at risk.”

Mr Read did not attend the professional conduct hearings. He has the right to appeal against the decision.