Teacher struck off for contact with pupil

Kamran Mohammed was a teacher at West Bromwich Collegiate Academy

A teacher has been banned from the profession indefinitely after failing to maintain appropriate professional boundaries with a student.

Mr Kamran Mohammed, 39, worked at West Bromwich Collegiate Academy as the head of physical education between 2019 and 2022.

A teaching tribunal heard that he deliberately instigated contact with Pupil A, following and messaging him on Instagram, as well as giving him gifts including chocolate and insoles.

He made a series of inappropriate comments to the boy, including that he meant a lot to him and that he did not want to lose touch with him.

Pupil A submitted that he felt "a bit weird" about the messages because Mr Mohammed was his teacher and so it was inappropriate, and he did not know how to respond to him.

The tribunal heard that Mr Mohammed said "you’re family to me, always have been", that he was "always here for you, if you ever need anything", and that he would buy the pupil anything he liked for his birthday.

He also referred to another student, saying that he "wanted to beat him up silly" for punching Pupil A.

Mr Mohammed told the student that photographs with Pupil A in them looked good and also sent a photograph to him of a stadium and said "just like watching you run."

Limited remorse

The tribunal also heard that Mr Mohammed attempted to conceal his communications with Pupil A, encouraging him to save his personal number under a different name.

The matter was reported to the police in August 2022 and in September he was asked not to attend work whilst the investigation took place.

Mr Mohammed was suspended from his position at the school in October 2022 and dismissed in January 2023.

In the academy's investigation of him, the 35-year-old denied that he had sent Instagram messages to Pupil A when in fact he had authored and sent the messages.

The tribunal said this showed he lacked integrity and/or was dishonest.

The panel said it was satisfied that Mr Mohammed was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct which might bring the profession into disrepute.

They acknowledged that he had apologised and that he regretted his actions but also found that he had shown limited insight and remorse.

The indefinite ban against Mr Mohammed means he cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England.

He may apply for the prohibition order to be removed five years after the date of this order, but this is not an automatic right to have it removed.