Teacher banned indefinitely over sexual misconduct with pupils

James Thomas, 34, has been banned from teaching indefinitely after a tribunal panel found him guilty of unacceptable professional conduct. The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel determined that Mr Thomas pursued sexual relationships with children after they had turned 16.

Tribunal findings

The TRA panel found Mr Thomas guilty of unacceptable professional conduct in August. The panel's report detailed allegations that Mr Thomas kissed and touched one pupil, and that he forced another to perform oral sex. These incidents allegedly occurred after Mr Thomas met the pupils at different schools.

While working at Shrewsbury House School in Surbiton, Mr Thomas used his personal phone to message a pupil he met elsewhere. He reportedly told her she had "a perfect body" and "if only you were 16 we could have sex". During a visit to her home, the panel found Mr Thomas kissed her neck and cheek, and touched her chest and waist. He also allegedly told the pupil she looked "sexy" and placed her hand on his erect penis, touched her breasts and bottom, and kissed her.

The panel also found Mr Thomas acted flirtatiously towards another pupil while employed at Bedales School in Hampshire. He allegedly stared at her breasts, attempted to touch her clothes, and made sexual innuendoes. The report stated that after she said "f*** me that's annoying" when her computer malfunctioned, Mr Thomas replied "one day hopefully".

The panel found that Mr Thomas pursued a sexual relationship with this pupil once she turned 16. After moving to a school in Chichester, the report states Mr Thomas kissed the pupil multiple times and touched her breasts. He allegedly forced her to perform oral sex on him three times and attempted penetrative sex. The TRA ruled that Mr Thomas touched the pupil between her legs and, in a separate incident, removed his clothes to join her in the shower uninvited and sexually assaulted her.

Consequences of conduct

The panel stated that Mr Thomas "sought to take advantage of his role and privileged access to students to further his own sexual gratification and to pursue a sexual relationship with children after they reached the age of 16". The report added that Mr Thomas’ conduct was "wholly unacceptable in a teacher and represented serious sexual misconduct undertaken for his own sexual gratification and for the development of sexual/sexualised relationships with pupils who were children". It concluded that his actions had "serious, long-term negative impacts on the children involved, including on their psychological and emotional well-being and their relationships with others."

Decision-maker Stuart Blomfield, acting on behalf of Education Secretary Lucy Powell, banned Mr Thomas from teaching indefinitely. Police investigations into Mr Thomas' conduct with both pupils were dropped.