Teacher Struck Off for Inappropriate Conduct with Students
A Somerset teacher has been permanently banned from the classroom after revealing intimate details of her personal life to pupils, including accounts of a drunken hen night and her romantic relationships. Natasha Blackmore, the 36-year-old former head of design and technology at Westfield Academy, was found to have engaged in unacceptable professional conduct by a Teaching Regulation Agency panel.
Excessive Personal Disclosures to Pupils
The professional panel determined that Blackmore disclosed significant inappropriate details about her private life to students aged 11 to 16. This included discussing her romantic partners and break-ups, showing text messages containing derogatory language about another person, and describing a social event where she became intoxicated while vaping and smoking.
Up to five pupils regularly visited Blackmore during breaks and lunchtimes, with one student remarking that the teacher viewed them more as friends than pupils. Another pupil described the dynamic as a weird relationship where they shared everything about their daily lives, behaviour, home situations, and arguments.
Multiple Boundary Violations
The panel identified several specific breaches of professional boundaries:
- Spending excessive time with pupils during school hours
- Joining pupils' Instagram group chats
- Arranging meetings with students during school holidays
- Inviting pupils to meet her new dog at Yeovil Recreational Centre
One student, referred to as Pupil A, testified that Blackmore had invited the group to meet her dog during holidays and shared details about getting really drunk at a hen do. The teacher acknowledged that the students provided crucial emotional support after she lost her previous dog, stating she might not have returned to work properly without their comfort.
Professional Consequences and Remorse
Despite one parent defending Blackmore as a really good teacher, the panel concluded she had failed to provide a safe learning environment by relying on pupils for emotional support. The teacher admitted to unacceptable professional conduct that could bring the profession into disrepute.
Blackmore expressed full awareness of her mistakes and the professional support she should have sought instead. She stated she now understands how unprofessional her actions were and is in a much better position personally.
Given her demonstrated insight and remorse, the panel ruled that the teaching ban may be reviewed after two years, offering a potential pathway back to the profession following this serious breach of educational ethics.
