Teacher’s porn name antics ‘out of character’

Deputy head escapes being struck off after smutty leavers’ speech

A deputy head teacher who gave porn star names to dozens of sixth years at their leaving assembly has escaped being struck off.

Graeme Cowie, who dubbed one youngster Dirk Peachybutt, will have to obtain a regular “report card” to prove he is behaving.

Mr Cowie almost destroyed his previously unblemished career during a leavers’ speech for sixth year pupils at Mearns Academy, Aberdeenshire.

The 38-year-old used an online porn name generator to create smutty monickers for 62 pupils and read them out during his speech.

Mr Cowie, watched in stony silence by appalled colleagues, told his audience of chortling teenagers a sexual joke about golfer Tiger Woods.

The General Teaching Council for Scotland, following a hearing in Edinburgh, decided his antics were an “isolated” incident and “entirely out of character”.

However, he will be required to give details of the hearing to future employers and submit three report cards from his boss reflecting on his conduct for a year.

In its written report, the disciplinary panel rejected Mr Cowie’s explanation that he thought at the back of his mind he was addressing the pupils as adults when he made the speech.

The panel stated: “The use of such language and content in a speech would not be appropriate in any professional context even with adults and the respondent had accepted this when questioned.”

They added: “The respondent’s use of sexualised language demonstrated a level of over-familiarity with pupils. The respondent had failed to respect the trust placed in him as a teacher by pupils, parents and colleagues.

“The conduct demonstrated a significant departure from the expectations on the respondent as a teacher to protect and maintain appropriate boundaries with pupils.”

But the panel rejected striking off and instead imposed a reprimand and 12-month conditional registration order.

This was because “the matter had been admitted, the respondent had reflected on the matter, shown genuine remorse and taken steps to address his shortfalls”.

Mr Cowie told the hearing the speech was “the worst 15 minutes of his career”.

He said: “Emotion, ego and arrogance took over that evening. I’m so disappointed my maverick speech came to this.”

He is currently working as a depute rector at The Gordon Schools in Huntly, after the council decided no further action would be taken by them.

Picture: Deadline News. Graeme Cowie gave his speech to Mearns Academy sixth year pupils.