Female teacher banned for sexual messages to pupil

The teacher denied her conduct was sexually motivated and said she saw the pupil as like her child

A woman has been banned from teaching after a panel found she sent messages about her sexual encounters to a pupil and encouraged him to smoke cannabis with her.

Charlotte Doman, then 32, was teaching history at William Edwards secondary school in Grays, Essex, when her inappropriate contact was said to have begun.

A Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel was told she sent messages to the pupil where she called him "little duck" and said to him she loved him, but she denied what she said was romantic.

Marc Cavey, TRA chief executive, decided she should be banned from teaching indefinitely, subject to a five-year review period.

The TRA heard Ms Doman sent dozens of messages to the child, who the panel referred to as Pupil A, between April and May 2023.

In one she said: "You're not even legal or an adult or anything. Like, am I taking advantage of you? Some days it feels like you're taking advantage of me lol."

In messages seen by the panel, she told him: "YOU have all the control in this relationship."

She also told Pupil A details about her sexual relationships, the panel found, saying in an Instagram message: "One night I ended up with three different guys."

'Pull sickies'

She was said to have made comments about the pupil's appearance and messaged him, saying: "I literally go get waxed every eight weeks for no-one to appreciate it."

The panel also heard Ms Doman encouraged Pupil A and his friends to "pull sickies" on a day she was off school, and at least once invited Pupil A to spend time alone with her.

The now 34-year-old did not attend her misconduct hearing, but in written statements said the "little duck" nickname was "not romantic".

She said she was letting the pupil "know that someone cared about his existence" in telling him she loved him.

Ms Doman admitted she also encouraged Pupil A to drink alcohol and smoke cannabis with her, and said: "I am unsure why any of this occurred.

"I certainly don't behave like this myself. I drink alcohol less than once a month and never to excess, and I've never taken drugs."

The teacher also admitted she had sent Pupil A messages outside of school hours and acknowledged she told him to "remove all trace" of her from his phone.

Ms Doman denied her conduct was sexually motivated and said she saw Pupil A as "like her child", but the panel ruled on the contrary.

It said Ms Doman's behaviour had a "seriously damaging" impact on Pupil A, his parents, the school and its wider community, and her conduct "had the potential to influence Pupil A in a harmful way".

Ms Doman was facing "difficulties" in her personal life at the time, the hearing was told, but the panel ruled that she "did not show sufficient insight in respect of the impact her conduct had on others".

Simon Bell, head teacher of William Edwards School, said Ms Doman was "immediately suspended" in light of the allegations.

"We are appalled and deeply disappointed by the actions of this former staff member," he said.

"The safeguarding of our students is always our top priority, and we took immediate action when concerns were raised."