Norwich teacher banned over relationship with ex-pupil

Scott Leavold-Davey met the pupil at Open Academy secondary school in Norwich

A maths teacher who began a relationship with a former pupil shortly after she left school has been banned from the profession.

Scott Leavold-Davey, 30, worked at Open Academy secondary school in Norwich.

A professional conduct panel heard he had resigned in January 2019 to have a "romantic and/or sexual relationship" with the pupil, who had left the school in about July 2018.

It heard the pair lived together and remained in a relationship.

'Inappropriate'

After the pupil left the school, Mr Leavold-Davey met with her at school in about October 2018 and "kissed and/or touched her", a report by a panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency found.

Open Academy teaches pupils up to the age of 19, according to an Ofsted report.

Decision maker Sarah Buxcey, for the Department for Education, wrote the "inappropriate relationship" was "sexually-motivated".

She said the panel accepted there was no evidence of a relationship between the pair while the pupil was at the school, but "their relationship commenced almost immediately after she left the roll and their knowledge of each other was on a pupil-teacher basis".

"Whilst the panel does not consider all relationships between a teacher and former pupil to be inappropriate, in circumstances when there is such close proximity between the pupil leaving and the relationship starting, the panel did determine it to be so in this case," she added.

The panel ruled the teacher had "clearly, and deliberately, crossed boundaries that should be in place between a teacher and pupil".

They concluded his actions may bring the teaching profession into disrepute and imposed a prohibition order.

Mr Leavold-Davey was banned from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children's home in England.

He has a right to appeal against the order within 28 days of being given notice of it.

The school is part of the Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust.

Its chief executive Oliver Burwood said the trust took "safeguarding issues very seriously".

"This why we continued to refer the matter to the Teaching Regulation Agency, even after the individual had resigned from their post at the school and the police investigation, which we fully supported, came to an end," he said.

"We are pleased with the action taken by the agency to ban this person from teaching for the foreseeable future."