Teacher groomed pupil into sex act, panel decides

Jason Harrison formerly taught at Notre Dame Catholic High School in Sheffield

A teacher who "groomed and manipulated" a schoolgirl to perform a sex act on him has been banned for life from the classroom.

A Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel concluded Jason Harrison committed sexual misconduct while working at Notre Dame High School in Sheffield.

The former student was left "scared", she told the panel in a written statement, adding that she had gone through "four years of hell" following the incident.

The teacher, who was 29 at the time, was later arrested and interviewed by police following reports from the student's friends, but acquitted in court.

However, the panel found the student's allegations to be true on the balance of probability and gave Mr Harrison a prohibition order for life, stating he brought the teaching profession into disrepute, abused his position and violated the rights of pupils.

Mr Harrison joined the school in September 2015.

The panel was told that the student went to see him in his classroom to discuss some work at lunchtime, during which an incident of a sexual nature was said to have occurred.

The panel found it true on the balance of probability that Mr Harrison touched the student's legs and bottom, exposed himself and encouraged the pupil to perform a sex act.

The girl's friends reported concerns about the incident soon afterwards.

'Diabolical impact'

The student spoke to the headteacher and said she had been joking with her friends and it had gone too far, but revealed to her mother that what she had said to her friends was true.

Mr Harrison was arrested and he and the student were interviewed by police the following day.

He resigned from his role at the school in August 2019.

In August 2021 he was tried and acquitted of a criminal offence relating to the incident.

Mr Harrison denied the allegations and did not attend the TRA hearing.

The student told the panel she now realised she had been "groomed" and was trying to protect the teacher at the time.

In written evidence, she said: "My perspective now that I am older has changed.

"I realise that I had been groomed and manipulated and can see that I should not have been worrying about protecting Mr Harrison nor the impact that a prison sentence may have had on him."

She also said: "I have gone through four years of hell... I am still scared of Mr Harrison and the potential that I may bump into him out in public."

The student said the incident had had "a diabolical impact" on her.

The panel noted that Mr Harrison had "failed to recognise the devastating impact of his actions" on the student and her family and had a "complete lack of insight and remorse".

The ban applies to any school, sixth form college, youth accommodation or children's home, and he has no right to apply for his right to teach to be reinstated.

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