Dr Stephen Jones, a former RE teacher and assistant deputy headmaster at St Columba’s College, St Albans, has been banned from teaching for life after forming inappropriate relationships with three male pupils.
In addition to giving expensive gifts to one of the pupils, he also took him away on overnight trips on his own without informing the College and allowed his parents to think that these were College trips. He went on holiday to Italy with the same pupil and his family in 2014. Following this, he went to Canada and Ireland with the pupil, often travelling alone with him. In addition, he took two other pupils on a trip to the New Forest without any other adult present and without the school or parents knowing this.
The teaching regulation agency professional conduct panel said it “went to great lengths to understand Dr Jones’ motivations in carrying out the actions”, but stated that while he had been dishonest, his actions were not sexually motivated.
The panel concluded: “In his actions, Dr Jones displayed a flagrant disregard for the policies of the college. The panel further found Dr Jones’ behaviour to be indicative of self-propagated exceptionalism. The panel finds that such behaviour is not one which can be tolerated in the profession”.
