A former teacher at Tottington High School has been permanently banned from the classroom after a professional misconduct panel found he engaged in sexual activity with a pupil.
Matthew Hindle, 36, who taught music at the Bury school between 2016 and 2019, was struck off following a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) hearing that concluded in September. The panel found it "more likely than not" that he had a sexual relationship with a pupil between 2018 and 2019.
The disciplinary report, published on 23 October, outlined a sustained pattern of boundary breaches by Mr Hindle, beginning with giving the pupil lifts home and sharing his personal phone number.
Although he claimed to have obtained parental and school permission for the early interactions, the panel emphasised that "permission does not necessarily make an act appropriate." His actions were deemed to reflect a failure to uphold professional boundaries from the outset.
While Mr Hindle admitted to messaging the pupil and acknowledged their relationship became "closer than it should have been," he denied more serious allegations. These included kissing, requesting indecent images, video calls of a sexual nature, and intercourse. However, the panel found all allegations proven on the balance of probabilities.
Evidence from the pupil, referred to as Pupil A, remained consistent throughout the proceedings and included detailed descriptions of Mr Hindle's home, messages of a flirtatious nature, and late-night communications via social media platforms like Facebook and Snapchat.
The report noted messages that suggested time had been spent in Mr Hindle's car, with one message from the pupil stating: "I can still smell you, your car smells so strong."
The teacher claimed his social media account had been hacked and denied that any sexual contact took place. However, the panel found his explanations "implausible and lacking in credibility".
The report concluded Mr Hindle's behaviour constituted unacceptable professional conduct, seriously breached the trust placed in teachers, and risked bringing the profession into disrepute. It also stated there was a risk of repetition, noting Mr Hindle showed "no insight or remorse."
Mr Hindle left Tottington High School in April 2019 to take a post at Oulder Hill Leadership Academy in Rochdale. Concerns were first formally raised in July 2020 after a complaint to the Rochdale school, triggering a full investigation.
He resigned in July 2022, and the case was referred to the TRA. The Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson, confirmed the prohibition order, which carries no right to review.
In her statement, Ms Phillipson said: "The findings of misconduct are particularly serious as they include a finding of engaging in sexual activity with a child. I have decided that Mr Hindle shall not be entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach."
A spokesperson for Tottington High School responded to the findings: "We are aware of this historic case concerning the individual actions of Matthew Hindle and the outcome of the Teaching Regulation Agency panel, primarily concerning serious incidents after Mr Hindle left Tottington.
"All investigations found there was no sexual relationship during the pupil’s time at our school. We have continued to proactively engage with all organisations and agencies throughout."
Despite the panel's conclusions, no evidence of criminal proceedings or convictions has been reported.
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