A teacher at a Catholic girls’ boarding school has been banned from the profession indefinitely for sexually motivated actions towards former pupils. Stephen Atkinson, who taught at St Teresa’s School in Surrey, touched the waist of a former pupil and kissed them on the cheek, a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel found.
The 48-year-old emailed the same pupil a few months earlier in July 2022 – when they were still at the school – and said they looked “radiant” in their prom photograph. Mr Atkinson, who started at the private school in 2004, also exchanged inappropriate personal emails with another pupil between 2017 and 2021 when they were still at the school.
He then arranged to meet up with them once they had left the school. Mr Atkinson was responsible for “serious inappropriate and unprofessional sexual communications” with more than one pupil/former pupil, the panel found.
The report noted that Mr Atkinson’s physical contact with the pupil – who he kissed on the cheek – was “of a sexual nature”. During the meeting, the teacher asked the former pupil “can I give you a kiss?” and then said “no properly, on the lips” or words to that effect, the panel ruled.
Mr Atkinson was suspended from his role at the school in October 2022 after a parent raised concerns about his communication with the former pupil. He has now been banned from teaching in England and he will not be entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach.
Marc Cavey, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State, said: “I am particularly mindful of the finding of a teacher engaging in communications with pupils/former pupils that were sexually motivated in this case and the serious negative impact that such a finding is likely to have on the reputation of the profession.”
He added: “In this case, I have placed considerable weight on both the very serious nature of the misconduct found, as well as the lack of evidence that the teacher has developed either insight into or remorse for his actions.”
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