A religious education teacher has been banned from the classroom for at least five years after telling pupils that sex was good and not to get married so they could sleep around.
Catherine Reynolds also swore at pupils while working at Saddleworth School in Uppermill – and showed them her tattoos.
She was found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct by a disciplinary panel and has been banned from teaching by education secretary Michael Gove.
Reynolds, 27, was suspended by her headteacher in March 2011 after the allegations were made and resigned from her post in July of that year.
The Teaching Agency disciplinary panel heard how she used inappropriate language towards pupils on a regular basis.
On one occasion, she told a pupil to ‘**** off’ and the panel heard how she made other unacceptable comments to her students. These included telling her class that she had taken the morning-after pill, confessing to a relationship with an older man, as well as tales of drinking alcohol to excess.
She was said to have made numerous references to sex from a personal perspective with one pupil claiming that she stated how ‘sex is good and says not to get married because then you can’t sleep around’ and ‘you should have sex all the time’.
Reynolds also informed pupils that she travelled to Amsterdam and talked of a sex show involving an animal.
The panel also found that she browsed the internet for her personal use when she would have been teaching and behaved inappropriately during lessons by allowing pupils to use mobile phones and iPods, and showing inappropriate videos.
Reynolds also encouraged pupils to contact her on Facebook and made inappropriate comments on the site following a parents’ evening, writing: “That was the most ******* horrendous evening of my life. ******* retarded parents that’s what.”
Reynolds began working at the school in September 2008 as a newly qualified teacher and initially showed herself to be good at her job, according to the Teaching Agency panel.
But they added: “Following an incident in September 2010 relating to Ms Reynolds putting wholly inappropriate and offensive material on Facebook, further complaints were made against her in January and March 2011 relating to her conduct towards pupils at the school and her general behaviour.
“Ms Reynolds singularly failed to act as a role model to her pupils. Her behaviour represents a serious departure from the personal and professional conduct elements of the Teaching Standards and was misconduct which would seriously affect the education and/or wellbeing of pupils and there is no evidence to suggest that this risk is not ongoing.”
Reynolds was banned from teaching until December 2017 – but will have to persuade a panel that she is fit to return to the classroom before the ban can be lifted. She has a right of appeal to the High Court.
Comments