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The Independent
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
PE teacher banned after allowing pupil with broken foot to play football
A PE teacher has been struck off after encouraging a student to play football with a broken foot and trying to persuade him to lie about it. Oliver Barker, 28, was teaching football at Percy Hedley School in Tyne and Wear when he allowed the pupil to take part in the sport in 2023. The child was only allowed to play in the net or practice ball skills due to the injury, at the instruction of the school's physiotherapist. During the PE lesson, the pupil shouted at a teaching assistant that he wanted to 'play out of net', who told him he would be sent back to a classroom if he tried to. But minutes later, the schoolchild was on the pitch and was aggressively tackled before limping off and 'rolling on the floor' while shouting in pain, a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel heard in July. The pupil then said 'Mr Barker let me play' when challenged, with witnesses telling the TRA the PE teacher had told him he could 'play at his own risk'. The same witness said Mr Barker was aware of the pupil's injury as he had previously sat out of Mr Barker's lesson due to his injured foot. It was understood that the student was supposed to wear a boot on his foot but refused to do so, and should not be allowed to play in the field because he 'tackles aggressively and takes it too far'. Mr Barker then asked the student to tell investigators he was in goal when the injury happened, which had been allowed by the physiotherapist as it was non-contact. He told the pupil: 'It happened when you were in goal', to which he responded: 'Nah, I was playing football and that idiot tackled us.' Mr Barker then said: 'Try that again, it happened when you were in goal, didn't it.' Mr Barker also pulled the teaching assistant out of another class later in the day and asked her: 'So what are we saying [about the accident]?' He told her: 'So he started in goal, came out, got tackled, and I didn't say he could play.' The next day, she saw he had written a report which didn't reflect what had happened, which she said made her feel 'uncomfortable'. Last year, Mr Barker admitted the allegations and that he was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct and/or conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute. TRA decision maker Marc Cavey said: 'The decisions Mr Barker had made following the incident which had the effect of concealing what had happened had serious implications for safeguarding, and undermines the trust that can be placed in him. 'The panel considered that Mr Barker's conduct could potentially damage the public's perception of a teacher. For these reasons, the panel found that Mr Barker's actions constituted conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute.' Mr Barker was banned indefinitely from teaching in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children's home in England. He has the right to appeal against the decision within 28 days, and he can apply for the order to be set aside two years after it was made. If he does apply, a panel will meet to consider this.
Daily Mirror
31-07-2025
- Daily Mirror
Special education teacher groomed student with nudes and sex toy video
Rikki Laughlin, 26, sent multiple nude pictures and a video of her using a sex toy to the student on the social media app before attempting to pressure him into having sex A married special education teacher has pleaded guilty to sending nudes to a 16-year-old student on Snapchat and pressuring him to have sex. Rikki Laughlin, 26, sent multiple nude pictures and a video of her using a sex toy to the student on the social media app. The student reportedly told authorities that 'things progressed fast' after the Snapchat messages and that he and Laughlin had kissed. The teenager "made excuses" because "he did not feel comfortable" when the teacher tried to take things further, police heard. It comes after a teacher who "murdered hikers in front of their kids' was "cold" to his students. Laughlin pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child creating substantial risk. She was a teacher at St. James High School in Missouri at the time of the crimes between September 8 and October 19, 2023. Laughlin was sentenced to five years of probation last week. It comes after a primary school teacher who searched for "Japanese schoolgirls" and "jailbait" was sacked after police discovered he shared indecent images and videos of children as young as six. Steven Spong, 30, had been teaching at Monkwick Junior School in Colchester when he was arrested in July, 2022, after authorities found he uploaded child abuse images online. In October 2022, he was fired by the school following a police investigation into his conduct. Police decided to take no further action against Spong because the images were not found on his devices. Instead, he was referred to Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA). The misconduct hearing, which was held this year, heard how police identified 16 videos and images that had been uploaded to the internet from Spong's home IP address. They included nine videos in category A, the most serious kind. Some of the children in the images were as young as six years old. The other uploads included two Category B videos, one Category B image, two Category C images and one Category C video. Spong also confessed to searching for "Japanese teenagers" and "Japanese schoolgirls" to find pornographic images of people that looked under 18-years-old, along with the term "jailbait." Spong denied any wrongdoing during disciplinary proceedings and the police investigation but admitted the facts in full ahead of the misconduct hearing. He also admitted that his conduct was sexually motivated. Decision maker Marc Cavey said: "The panel noted that, whilst the conduct took place outside the education setting, the nature of the alleged conduct relates directly to the conduct expected of those within the teaching profession and the standards which they are expected to uphold."
BBC News
30-07-2025
- BBC News
Surrey teacher banned for downloading indecent images of children
A teacher employed at a Surrey school for 20 years has been banned from the profession after downloading hundreds of indecent images of children, following a decision by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA). Nicholas James Heuvel taught at Box Hill School in Mickleham and while working as a teacher, between January 2016 and January 2018, he downloaded and/or was in possession of up to 224 indecent images of children on his 22 and 23 October 2017, he searched for indecent images of children on the internet. On 15 July this year, a TRA panel issued a prohibition order to the 68-year-old, prohibiting him from teaching in England "indefinitely". In a report, the TRA wrote that Heuvel had accepted a simple police caution on 30 September 2021 for making 222 Category C images of children, one Category B image of a child and one Category A image of a child - the most serious classification - in Dorking on 23 January report added Heuvel had been referred to the TRA on 7 December report stated that on 16 December 2024, Heuvel had admitted to all the offences from 2016 to 2018, and in 2021, by signing a statement of agreed facts to all the started working at Box Hill School in 1997 until his resignation in panel said the decision to ban Heuvel from teaching was "both proportionate and appropriate". The TRA report stated: "The period of time which Mr Heuvel used specific search terms to access indecent images of children was a significant factor in forming that opinion along with the risk of repetition which the panel considered was high due to Mr Heuvel's lack of insight and/or remorse into his actions and the impact that his actions had on children."The panel said it was satisfied Heuvel's conduct amounted to "misconduct of a serious nature which fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession".The panel added public confidence in the teaching profession "could be seriously weakened" if Heuvel's conduct "was not treated with the utmost seriousness when regulating the conduct of the profession". When asked about the time it took for the TRA to issue the prohibition order, a spokesperson for the Department of Education (DfE) said it "does not comment on individual cases". It added this included "identifying the referring party or confirming whether a prohibition order has been appealed"."The duration of an investigation depends on various factors, some of which are outside of TRA's control, including the timely provision of information by third parties, and the availability of parties which are required to attend a hearing," it added."The TRA has taken extensive steps to increase capacity to ensure the timely conclusion of cases which has enabled it to deliver a record number of misconduct hearings." Under the ban order, Heuvel is "prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children's home in England".
BBC News
29-07-2025
- BBC News
Teacher banned over sexual misconduct at Sheffield school
A teacher who "groomed and manipulated" a schoolgirl to perform a sex act on him has been banned for life from the classroom.A Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel concluded Jason Harrison committed sexual misconduct while working at Notre Dame High School in former student was left "scared", she told the panel in a written statement, adding that she had gone through "four years of hell" following the teacher, who was 29 at the time, was later arrested and interviewed by police following reports from the student's friends, but acquitted in court. However, the panel found the student's allegations to be true on the balance of probability and gave Mr Harrison a prohibition order for life, stating he brought the teaching profession into disrepute, abused his position and violated the rights of Harrison joined the school in September panel was told that the student went to see him in his classroom to discuss some work at lunchtime, during which an incident of a sexual nature was said to have panel found it true on the balance of probability that Mr Harrison touched the student's legs and bottom, exposed himself and encouraged the pupil to perform a sex girl's friends reported concerns about the incident soon afterwards. 'Diabolical impact' The student spoke to the headteacher and said she had been joking with her friends and it had gone too far, but revealed to her mother that what she had said to her friends was Harrison was arrested and he and the student were interviewed by police the following resigned from his role at the school in August August 2021 he was tried and acquitted of a criminal offence relating to the Harrison denied the allegations and did not attend the TRA student told the panel she now realised she had been "groomed" and was trying to protect the teacher at the written evidence, she said: "My perspective now that I am older has changed."I realise that I had been groomed and manipulated and can see that I should not have been worrying about protecting Mr Harrison nor the impact that a prison sentence may have had on him."She also said: "I have gone through four years of hell... I am still scared of Mr Harrison and the potential that I may bump into him out in public."The student said the incident had had "a diabolical impact" on panel noted that Mr Harrison had "failed to recognise the devastating impact of his actions" on the student and her family and had a "complete lack of insight and remorse".The ban applies to any school, sixth form college, youth accommodation or children's home, and he has no right to apply for his right to teach to be reinstated. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
Irish Independent
26-07-2025
- Irish Independent
Teacher banned indefinitely for having sex in art classroom
Liyarna Beamish (39) had taught at Ribston Hall High School in Gloucestershire since 2016 and had engaged in an affair with a fellow teacher for two years before it was uncovered last summer. The school was contacted by a third party on June 26, 2024, who informed school authorities that Ms Beamish had been engaging in sexual intercourse during school hours. They were also shown screenshots of messages sent between the two teachers. The messages were sexual in nature and had been sent during the working day. During an investigatory meeting, Ms Beamish admitted having sex on school premises, and confirmed messages on WhatsApp showed the two organising their liaisons. Couple of years – multiple occasions When asked on how many occasions had this happened, she replied: 'Couple of years – multiple occasions.' Ms Beamish also responded that the couple had engaged in sexual intercourse in the 'art room, and two art cupboards, both doors locked, downstairs door locked as well'. She was referred to the UK's Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA). The TRA panel examining the case concluded that Ms Beamish's behaviour had been 'sexually motivated' and had fallen 'very far short of the standard of behaviour' required in the teaching profession. It was also found that she had shown 'limited evidence of insight and/or remorse'. The report concluded: 'For these reasons, the panel was satisfied that the conduct of Ms Beamish amounted to misconduct of a serious nature which fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession. 'Accordingly, the panel was satisfied that Ms Beamish was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct.' She has now been banned from teaching indefinitely in any educational institution, but can apply for the prohibition order to be removed in two years.
