Sexually motivated, inappropriate conduct is the reason for a third of teaching bans in England, according to BBC analysis of National College of Teaching and Leadership (now the Teaching Regulation Agency) judgements between April 2013 and March 2018. Over 450 staff were banned during this period, with cases including teachers kissing pupils, showing them pornography, and engaging in sexual relationships.
Inappropriate conduct made up more than half of all bans following misconduct hearings, with a third of cases having a sexual element. Male teachers accounted for about 70% of cases, of which more than half had a sexual dimension, including 10 involving sexual offence convictions and 17 related to indecent images. Among the 165 female teacher cases, 46 were for dishonesty, 37 for professional misconduct, and eight for being drunk at work.
Physical education (PE) teachers faced the most investigations, with 23 cases, followed by music (22 cases) and science (21 cases). Notable cases include a teacher who measured pupils' penises in the 1970s, a teacher who stole £27,000 worth of books, and an assistant head teacher who filmed up girls' skirts.
The National Education Union said the number of bans was 'tiny' compared with the 500,000 teachers in schools. Jerry Glazier, of the NUT section of the union, said: 'We all want children to be safe in our schools and only the best people in the profession.' He added that the higher ban rate for male teachers reflected the types of offences committed and the respective threats they posed.
The NSPCC said safeguarding children 'must always be a top priority' for schools. A spokeswoman said: 'The vast majority of teachers do a fantastic job.'
