Teacher Sent 100 Texts, Banned Indefinitely

A 34-year-old teacher, Stephen White, formerly of St Wilfrid's Catholic School in Crawley, has been indefinitely banned from teaching after engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a student identified as Pupil A. The misconduct spanned three years, from March 2020 to March 2023. White sent Pupil A emails of a personal nature, including messages sent outside school hours. He also sent upwards of 100 text messages in one evening after providing his personal phone number to the student, claiming it was to avoid email monitoring.

During the investigation, it was revealed that White also wrote a lengthy letter to Pupil A, gifted her items, and shared a picture of his newborn child. He referred to the student as a 'very special person' and '#1'. The Teaching Regulatory Authority found his conduct to be dishonest, lacking integrity, and posing a safeguarding risk. White was dismissed from his position after the school was notified of his text message correspondence with the pupil in January 2023.

The school acted swiftly, informing local authorities and suspending White, who was then dismissed. The TRA panel concluded that White had breached Teachers Standards, including observing proper boundaries and safeguarding pupils. He can apply to have his eligibility to teach restored in the future. The headteacher confirmed the school's commitment to student and staff safeguarding.