Teacher in probe over relations with sixth form girl

AN investigation has been launched into allegations that a teacher had a relationship with a pupil at an East Riding school.

The male member of staff at Market Weighton School has been suspended pending the outcome of an inquiry by his employer East Riding Council.

Police were called in after being made aware of “rumours” at the school in Spring Road, Market Weighton, but have now left the matter in the hands of the local authority after finding no evidence of criminal activity.

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It is thought the pupil is a female member of the small upper sixth form and the alleged relationship came to light through mobile phone text messages.

No sexual activity is thought to have taken place between the pair.

A spokeswoman for Humberside Police said: “Police were made aware of rumours at a school in Market Weighton which were believed to involve a student and a teacher. Following enquires, police have established that no criminal offence had taken place and no further police involvement was required.

“The matter has been left with the local authority.”

The school said in a statement issued through the council: “A teacher from the Market Weighton School has been suspended. There is currently an on-going internal investigation so it would not be appropriate to make any further comment.”

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Education officials in the East Riding have been seeking to restore the borough’s reputation after it was rocked by a series of scandals involving pupils and teachers.

In 2010, Christopher Reen, a class supervisor at Headlands School in Bridlington, was jailed for more than three years for having sex with a 15-year-old girl.

He was the fifth member of staff at the school to be prosecuted in a four-year period in relation to inappropriate sexual conduct.

Reen, who bombarded his victim with sexually explicit text messages, admitted six counts of sexual activity with a child under 16 and one count of sexual activity in breach of trust. Police found evidence of 800 text messages or calls to the girl from Reen’s mobile over a three-month period.

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In 2008, a female teaching assistant was given a conditional discharge after admitting abusing trust.

The same year, former Headlands teacher Terry Mann was given a suspended sentence after admitting a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl from another school.

In 2007, married science teacher Steven Edwards was sentenced to nearly five years after being convicted of having sexual activity or intercourse with three pupils aged between 14 and 16 over a four-year period. He had twice been warned by police and the school headmaster about his inappropriate behaviour towards schoolgirls.

In 2006, art teacher Ian Blott, a married father-of-two with 33 years’ teaching experience, was jailed for four years after a sexual relationship with a girl.

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Blott began the two-and-a-half-year affair with the girl three months after her 15th birthday.

Market Weighton School was released from special measures last month after an inspection in 2010 by education watchdog Ofsted found it was failing to provide an adequate level of education.

Inspectors also found the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school were “not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement”.

The school’s self-evaluation was “over-generous”, and tools to promote its improvement, monitoring and evaluation were “weak”.

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However, the effectiveness of its safeguarding procedures were satisfactory and pupils felt safe.

The school, which has 540 pupils on roll, was released from special measures after an inspection carried out with one day’s notice found satisfactory ratings for overall effectiveness, pupil achievement, quality of teaching, and pupil safety and behaviour.

The school is now being led by an executive headteacher, Chris Abbot – a national leader in education – and Gavin Chappell, acting headteacher, who are both on secondment from South Hunsley Academy. Leadership and management were rated “good”.