Unknown Teacher

The Secretary of State does not make these decisions himself. They are made by a senior official on the recommendation of an independent panel.

Teacher reference number:

0671194

Teacher's date of birth:

18 November 1984

Location teacher worked:

Wiltshire, South West England

Date of professional conduct panel:

13 April 2018

Outcome type:

Prohibition order

Notice is hereby given that, in accordance with The Teacher's’ Disciplinary (England) Regulations 2012, a professional conduct panel was convened to consider the case of Mr Ashley Bakewell formerly employed in Wiltshire, South West England.

The proceedings were held at 53 to 55 Butts Road, Earlsdon Park, Coventry CV1 3BH at 9.30am on 13 April 2018.

Teacher misconduct

Ground Floor, South

Cheylesmore House

5 Quinton RoadCoventryCV1 2WT

Email TRA.Casework@education.gov.uk

Telephone 020 7593 5393

Information about regulating the teaching profession and the process for dealing with serious teacher misconduct.

Mr Ashley Bakewell: Professional conduct panel meeting outcome Panel decision and reasons on behalf of the Secretary of State for Education April 2018 2 Contents A. Introduction 3 B. Allegations 4 C. Summary of evidence 4 Documents 4 Statement of agreed facts 5 D. Decision and reasons 5 Panel’s recommendation to the Secretary of State 7 Decision and reasons on behalf of the Secretary of State 10 3 Professional conduct panel decision and recommendations, and decision on behalf of the Secretary of State Teacher: Mr Ashley Bakewell Teacher ref number: 0671194 Teacher date of birth: 18 November 1984 TRA case reference: 16019 Date of determination: 13 April 2018 Former employer: South Wiltshire Grammar School for Girls, Salisbury A. Introduction A professional conduct panel (“the panel”) of the Teaching Regulation Agency (“TRA”) convened on 13 April 2018 at 53 to 55 Butts Road, Earlsdon Park, Coventry CV1 3BH to consider the case of Mr Ashley Bakewell. The panel members were Mrs Mahfia Watkinson (lay panellist – in the chair), Mr John Matharu (lay panellist) and Mr Peter Cooper (teacher panellist). The legal adviser to the panel was Mr Nick Leale of Blake Morgan solicitors. In advance of the meeting, TRA agreed to a request from Mr Ashley Bakewell that the allegations be considered without a hearing after taking into consideration the public interest and the interests of justice. Mr Bakewell provided a signed Statement of Agreed Facts and admitted unacceptable professional conduct and conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute. The panel considered the case at a meeting without the attendance of the presenting officer, Mr Bakewell or his representative. The meeting took place in private. 4 B. Allegations The panel considered the allegations set out in the Notice of Meeting dated 28 March 2018. It was alleged that Mr Bakewell was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct and/or conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute, in that he, during the course of his employment as a teacher of Computing at South Wiltshire Grammar School for Girls ('the School'): 1. On one or more occasions, including on 16 December 2016, took inappropriate photos of one or more pupils without their knowledge; 2. Stored photos of pupils from the School on one or more personal devices; 3. His conduct at (1) above was sexually motivated and/or was of a sexual nature. Mr Bakewell had admitted the allegations in full in advance of the meeting by way of a signed Statement of Agreed Facts dated 25 January 2018 (also signed by the Presenting Officer on 5 February 2018). In this Statement of Agreed Facts Mr Bakewell also admitted that they amounted to unacceptable professional conduct and conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute. C. Preliminary applications There were no preliminary applications. D. Summary of evidence Documents In advance of the hearing, the panel received a bundle of documents which included: Section 1: Chronology – pages 1 to 2. Section 2: Notice of Referral and response – pages 3 to 7. Section 3: Statement of Agreed Facts and Presenting Officer Representations– pages 8 to 14b. Section 4: TRA documents – pages 15 to 59. Section 5: Teacher documents – pages 60 to 62. The panel members confirmed that they had read all of the documents in advance of the hearing. 5 Statement of Agreed Facts The panel considered a Statement of Agreed Facts which was signed by Mr Bakewell on 25 January 2018. D. Decision and reasons The panel announced its decision and reasons as follows: The panel has carefully considered the case and reached a decision. The panel confirms that it has read all the documents provided in the bundle in advance of the hearing. In advance of the meeting, The National College for Teaching and Leadership (now Teaching Regulation Agency) agreed to a request from Mr Bakewell that the allegations be considered without a hearing. The panel has the ability to direct that the case be considered at a hearing if required in the interests of justice or in the public interest. The panel did not determine that such a direction is necessary or appropriate in this case. This case relates to a teacher who on one or more occasions took inappropriate photos of pupils at the school at which he worked without their knowledge and through sexual motivation. He had been employed as a Teacher of Computing at South Wiltshire Grammar School for Girls (“the School”) since January 2012, until his resignation in February 2017. Findings of fact Our findings of fact are as follows: The panel has found all three of the factual particulars below proved: You are guilty of unacceptable professional conduct and/or conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute in that during the course of your employment as a Teacher of Computing at South Wiltshire Grammar School for Girls, you: 1. On one or more occasions including on 16th December 2016, you took inappropriate photos of one or more pupils without their knowledge; 2. You stored photos of pupils from SWGS on one or more personal devices; 3. Your conduct at (1) above was sexually motivated and/or was of a sexual nature. 6 Mr Bakewell admitted all of the particulars of allegation. These admissions are unequivocal in that he fully accepts that he took inappropriate photos of pupils without their knowledge and admits that this was over the period of around a year. He further accepts that he stored the photos on his personal devices and that he took them out of sexual motivation, stating in the Statement of Agreed Facts that he was particularly attracted to the relevant pupils' long hair. He fully accepts that taking and storing such images was inappropriate. The evidence that the panel has read is entirely consistent with the admissions made - from the accuracy of dates, the lack of knowledge of his actions on the part of the pupils involved and nature of the images that Mr Bakewell stored on his devices. The panel have read unequivocal evidence (in the Disciplinary Evidence Report) that numerous such images were viewed on Mr Bakewell's phone by those investigating this matter at the School. Mr Bakewell provided consent for the images to be viewed on his personal device. They were dated 16 December 2016, which was the date that pupils at the School reported Mr Bakewell's inappropriate conduct. The images were taken from behind and of female pupils. In some of the images evidence indicates that they were pupils in various academic years. The 16 December was a non-uniform day at the School. Findings as to unacceptable professional conduct and/or conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute Having found all of the allegations to have been proven, the panel has gone on to consider whether the facts of those proven allegations amount to unacceptable professional conduct and/or conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute. In doing so, the panel has had regard to the document Teacher misconduct: The prohibition of teachers, which the panel refers to as “the Advice”. The panel is satisfied that the conduct of Mr Bakewell in relation to the facts found proven, involved breaches of the Teachers’ Standards. The panel considers that by reference to Part Two, Mr Bakewell is in breach of the following standards:  Teachers uphold public trust in the profession and maintain high standards of ethics and behaviour, within and outside school, by: o treating pupils with dignity, building relationships rooted in mutual respect, and at all times observing proper boundaries appropriate to a teacher’s professional position; o having regard for the need to safeguard pupils’ well-being, in accordance with statutory provisions;  Teachers must have proper and professional regard for the ethos, policies and practices of the school in which they teach; 7  Teachers must have an understanding of, and always act within, the statutory frameworks which set out their professional duties and responsibilities. The panel is satisfied that the conduct of Mr Bakewell amounts to misconduct of a serious nature which fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession. He breached the trust and confidence placed in him through his position as a teacher by, without their knowledge, taking images of children, repeatedly, over a long period of time. The images were stored on his personal devices. Mr Bakewell had received all relevant safeguarding training and confirmed that he had brought himself up to date on safeguarding expectations by reference to the School's current Safeguarding Handbook. On any level, Mr Bakewell's conduct extensively failed to uphold the public trust in the teaching profession and amounted to behaviour that failed to observe proper boundaries appropriate to a teacher's professional position of trust. Accordingly, the panel is satisfied that Mr Bakewell is guilty of unacceptable professional conduct. Furthermore, the panel has taken into account how the teaching profession is viewed by others and considered the influence that teachers may have on pupils, parents and others in the community. The panel has taken account of the uniquely influential role that teachers can hold in pupils’ lives and that pupils must be able to view teachers as role models in the way they behave. The findings of misconduct are serious and the conduct displayed would likely have a negative impact on the individual’s status as a teacher, potentially damaging the public perception. The panel therefore, for similar reasons as stated above, finds that Mr Bakewell’s actions constitute conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute. Having found the facts of particulars 1, 2. and 3. proved, the panel further found that Mr Bakewell's conduct amounts to both unacceptable profession