An assistant headteacher who asked a former pupil to send him pictures of her in the bath has been struck off. Michael Lee, who worked at Swaffham Bulbeck Church of England Primary School, has been banned from teaching after a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) misconduct hearing.
Mr Lee was found to have breached professional boundaries by “engaging in communication of a sexual nature” with a “child who was a former pupil of his”.
The panel determined that Mr Lee’s conduct could be “directly characterised” as “sexual misconduct involving a child” and this was serious in nature.
Mr Lee, who worked at the school from 2016 until 2020, was first subject to an internal disciplinary process in relation to the incident back in 2017.
He was initially given a written warning, but the matter was revisited after the school joined the Diocese of Ely Multi-Academy Trust (DEMAT), which referred it to the TRA in 2019.
The panel heard how Mr Lee, also a designated safeguarding lead at the time, had become friends with the former pupil on Facebook.
He described her as “stunning” and engaged in conversations with her about her romantic relationship with her boyfriend, asking if they had slept together, in May 2017.
He also told her that “he didn’t deserve to be with you” and attempted to add the former student on the social media platform, Snapchat.
On another occasion, while she was in the bath, Mr Lee asked her to send him pictures, before also requesting a photo of her when he knew she was in bed.
Mr Lee described his actions as “horrendous” and acknowledged he had made a “grave error” but said he did not believe he should be prevented from teaching, referring to his conduct as a “mistake”.
The panel concluded his actions were of a “sexual nature” and amounted to unacceptable professional conduct which may bring the profession into disrepute. He was banned indefinitely.
“This means that Mr Michael Lee is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England. Furthermore, in view of the seriousness of the allegations found proved against him, I have decided that Mr Lee shall not be entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach.”
A spokesperson for DEMAT said: “After Swaffham Bulbeck joined DEMAT as an academy, the trust was made aware of a previous safeguarding issue relating to this individual, and immediately sought professional advice.
“As a result of this, the individual was then referred to the authorities, which led to the decision that the matter should be considered at a TRA hearing.
“We have updated our community and assured them that the safety of our pupils is, and always will be, our top priority.
“We will always do everything we can to ensure children are safe, happy and able to fulfil their potential.”