Latest news with #QueenElizabethHighSchool
The Independent
23-07-2025
- The Independent
Teacher banned from the classroom for life after sexual relationship with pupil
A veteran teacher once described as 'very popular' has been banned from the classroom after having a sexual relationship with a pupil. Andrew Brook, 61, a longstanding teacher at Queen Elizabeth High School in Northumberland, developed an 'inappropriate relationship' with a pupil between March 2019 and August 2020, and subsequently for six months after she left the school. The teenager described feeling like she could not say no to the then-56-year-old father as he frequently drove her to a remote car park to have sex in the back of his van, while she was in sixth form. Despite the girl's attempts to end the relationship, Brook convinced her to carry on the relationship into her first term at university, where he visited her despite the country being in a national lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic. She said the burden of having to lie about the relationship, an order by Brook, left her feeling estranged from her family and friends for over a year. 'Looking back at the relationship, I believe there was a lot of manipulation by Mr Brook,' she told the investigating panel. 'He was older and in a position of authority. I felt as though I could not say no to him in the relationship because of the position her was in. He had a lot of influence over me – he could have probably told me to do anything and I would have done it.' The panel issued an indefinite prohibition order against Brook after they found the teacher showed 'complete lack of insight and remorse' for his behaviour, as well as downplaying the impact his actions had on the girl. In a written response to the panel in February 2024, Brook accused the investigation of engaging in 'moral policing' outside of its remit, claiming the girl was not manipulated but 'knew what she wanted'. The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) found his lack of remorse, as well as his 'attempt to minimise the impact of his behaviour of Pupil A', as 'evidence of a real risk of repetition'. The relationship began in early 2019 after Brook asked Pupil A to sit on his lap during a coach trip. A few weeks later, he sent a message wishing her luck for her A-Level exam. By the summer, the pair were messaging frequently. Pupil A said the messages were friendly in nature. But by December, the pair were meeting up at least once a week. They would meet just outside town after school. She said the meetings became 'quite intimate'. The following month, Brook picked the pupil up from work in his van, drove them down country roads into a remote car park and told her he had strong feelings for her. She said she knew the comments were 'weird' but she felt 'flattered'. A few weeks later, he took her to a car park again and kissed her multiple times. Pupil A said she initially felt 'conflicted and shocked' by Brook's advances. From March, they started having sex in the back of his van. Pupil A said they would 'park up, put the back seats down, pull the curtains round, then he would tell me to lie down and take my clothes off and we would have sex'. He then began to tell her he loved her, as well as buying her cans of alcohol. After Pupil A left for university, Brook began visiting her. During these visits, which were during a national lockdown, he would buy her alcohol, they would drink together and allegedly smoke marijuana, and they would sleep together. Pupil A described the relationship at that point as 'sexual' in nature. The pair would discuss politics, human rights and his longtime passion for Tibetan sovereignty. Pupil A said that by that point, she 'felt like a large part of the relationship was about sex for him'. It eventually ended between February and April 2021. The prohibition order stops Brook teaching in any classroom in England.
BBC News
23-07-2025
- BBC News
Hexham teacher banned over sexual relationship with pupil
A teacher who "sought to exploit his position of trust" to begin a sexual relationship with a sixth form pupil has been banned from the Brook, 61, who worked at Queen Elizabeth High School in Hexham, continued the relationship when the teenager went on to started exchanging Facebook messages with the pupil and later bought her a Christmas present before telling her he had developed feelings towards her.A Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel found his behaviour fundamentally breached the standard of conduct expected. The teacher first sent a message to the girl, referred to as Pupil A, a message wishing her luck for her exams, the panel Messenger and WhatsApp conversations continuing over the summer months as the pair became A told the panel she began meeting up with Mr Brook once a week the following winter and said he "would hug me, mostly to just warm me up, but it became quite intimate and extended and he would invite me to put my hands under his shirt".Later, when she was revising for her mock exams in Mr Brook's classroom, he admitted he had feelings for her, Pupil A stated that the next day Mr Brook picked her up in his van, drove along country roads and pulled into a car park where he told her he really liked her and had not had feelings that strong her evidence, she said she knew this "was weird but she felt flattered". 'Moral policing' Their sexual relationship started the same month with Mr Brook driving them somewhere remote in his A said they would "park up, put the back seats down, pull the curtains round, then he would tell me to lie down and take my clothes off and we would have sex".The panel heard that in May or June of that year, Mr Brook told the girl he loved started university that September, with Pupil A saying the "relationship was sexual when he came to see me and he would bring wine, beer or gin and tonic in a can".In his written response to the panel, Mr Brook described the TRA investigation into events during Pupil A's time at university as "moral policing", adding it was a "private matter governed by privacy laws between two consenting adults and should stay that way".The panel determined that, even though Pupil A may have been over the age of 18 when the majority of the findings against Mr Brook took place, she was still considered to be a student at the school until 31 August of the year she said that "clearly amounted to a failure to maintain appropriate professional boundaries".Although accepting Pupil A's evidence that the relationship was consensual, the panel said there had been a "clear power imbalance throughout" and that continued when the girl moved to said Mr Brook had shown "a complete lack of insight and remorse" and that there was no evidence his "concerning and deep-seated attitude to personal relationships with pupils would, or could, change".The prohibition order imposed prevents him from teaching in England again. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
South Wales Guardian
11-05-2025
- General
- South Wales Guardian
Carmarthenshire County Council marks Deaf Awareness Week
The council is recognising the culture, language, and experiences of deaf children, young people, and their families. The theme highlights that communication extends beyond sound and speech, encompassing facial expressions, signs, gestures, technology, and shared understanding. The council supports more than 200 children and young people with unique communication needs, championing all approaches including British Sign Language (BSL), speech, and total communication. The council's efforts are led by six specialist qualified teachers of deaf children and young people, two of whom are parents of deaf children. The sensory impairment service, part of the additional learning needs team, has been led by a new service manager since September 2024, who is herself profoundly deaf. The council also acknowledged the contribution of teaching assistants in ensuring every deaf learner feels supported. Schools across Carmarthenshire are also playing their part in creating inclusive environments. Ysgol Parcyrhun has collaborated with the Children's Commissioner for Wales to raise awareness of BSL and deaf inclusion. Queen Elizabeth High School has developed a deaf role model programme, regularly welcoming successful deaf individuals to inspire students. Ysgol Bryngwyn arranged BSL taster sessions for every Year 7 class last term, promoting inclusivity and communication beyond the spoken word. Councillor Glynog Davies, cabinet member for education and Welsh language, said: "As a local authority, we are incredibly proud of the achievements of each one of our deaf learners and are grateful to our specialist teachers and staff for the wonderful work that they do to support our children and young people."
