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Teacher struck off for messages to pupil during wife's pregnancy
21 Mar
Summary
- Housemaster sent inappropriate messages to student while wife was pregnant.
- He was found guilty of serious misconduct by a panel on January 16.
- The teacher was banned from continuing his profession.
Benjamin Phelps, a drama teacher at Bede's, a £36,000-a-year boarding school in Sussex, was struck off on January 16, 2026. A panel found him guilty of serious misconduct for his inappropriate relationship with a student. During his wife's pregnancy with their second child, Phelps sent numerous messages to the pupil between November 2023 and January 2024.
These messages expressed intense feelings, including stating "I feel love... at a level I've not felt before" and "I just want to grab you and pick you up and have you wrapped around me." He also encouraged the student to skip lessons for secret meetups. The communications escalated to WhatsApp, a banned platform, and involved exchanging photographs and declarations of love.
Phelps failed to implement safeguarding procedures after the pupil disclosed sensitive information and did not report that she had kissed him. He also defied a suspension order by contacting the pupil. The panel's decision has banned him from teaching.
