A PE teacher who told a schoolgirl she was 'Premier League' and one of his 'favourite people on the planet' has been banned from the profession. Stuart Smith was 'overfamiliar' and developed an 'emotional personal relationship' with one pupil at the private school, which costs about £18,000 a year for senior students in year seven to year 11.
The 48-year-old became 'increasingly close' to the pupil on a school trip and engaged in regular one-to-one conversations with her. A professional conduct panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency has said Mr Smith's actions breached teaching standards and amounted to misconduct.
Inappropriate messages and behaviour
The panel heard how Mr Smith was a teacher at Mayville High School in Portsmouth and was appointed to the roles of assistant head of Year 11 and head of house. After returning from the school trip, he exchanged several WhatsApp messages with the girl.
In one message, Mr Smith said to the girl: 'So, today I’ve seen a lot of my favourite people and done some fun things but I would have swapped it all for a cup of milo, a game of spoons and just being silly with you.' In another, he told the student she was 'Premier League and one of my favourite people on the planet'.
The teacher also told the girl he was 'really proud' of her before referring to her as the best 'hoody stealer', 'bracelet addict' and 'Mona Lisa friend'.
In his evidence to the panel, Mr Smith acknowledged his messages at times were 'too friendly and over familiar, but he thought it was due to spending 16/17 hours a day with someone'. It was said that in his written statement, Mr Smith stated he had gone through the messages and agreed they were unprofessional and 'blurred the lines between what is acceptable and not'.
Physical contact allegations
The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she told Mr Smith she was going to sleep on the journey home from the school trip and he said she could put her legs over him. It was said that the teacher then 'rubbed' and 'touched' the pupil’s thigh with his hands, an allegation Mr Smith 'categorically' denied but the panel found proven.
The panel also found that Mr Smith had photographs of the student, bought her a fabric bracelet and exchanged personal mobile telephone numbers with one or more pupils.
Police investigation and outcome
In October 2023, Mr Smith was arrested by the police on suspicion of sexual assault and suspended from the school. But in December, the police probe was closed with no further action. Mr Smith resigned from the school that month.
The panel found Mr Smith's conduct 'involved serious and repeated failures to maintain proper professional boundaries with a pupil and a failure to act in accordance with safeguarding expectations, requirements and responsibilities'. The report added: 'The panel considered that these matters seriously undermined the standards expected of a teacher and he sought to exploit his position of trust.'
Some allegations made against the teacher were found not proven. Mr Smith has now been prohibited from teaching indefinitely. He can apply for the prohibition order to be set aside but not until 2029, and he has a right of appeal at the High Court.
