Teacher banned for life over sexual contact with pupils
A FORMER music teacher at a top Derbyshire school has been banned for life from the classroom following graphic revelations of sexual contact with two pupils.
A final decision on the future of Laurie Softley, 34, who had taught music at Ecclesbourne School in Duffield for 10 years, has been made by the Teaching Regulation Agency.
The result of a hearing against Ms Softley, held last November, is that she will not be allowed to teach again.
The disciplinary panel heard that Ms Softley plied one “bewildered” sixthformer with traffic light shots of alcohol during a Christmas clinch at her home in 2012 – five years after a boozy onenight stand with another boy.
The revelations only came to light in 2017 when the ex-pupil finally broke his silence to tell a counsellor, the agency was told. Decision-maker Alan Meyrick, on behalf of the Secretary of State for Education, wrote in the latest report: “In this case, the panel has found all of the allegations proven and found that those proven facts amount to unacceptable professional conduct and conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute.
“The panel made a recommendation to the Secretary of State that Ms Softley should be the subject of a prohibition order, with no provision for a review period.
“The hearing heard that Ms Softley initiated and engaged, on separate occasions, in sexual activity with both Pupil A and Pupil B and Ms Softley’s conduct in engaging in inappropriate sexual activity was repeated and on each occasion followed a similar pattern. Moreover, that despite having received a warning for her conduct towards Pupil A in 2008, Ms Softley went on to act in a similar way in respect of Pupil B.”
He confirmed that Ms Softley had been banned from teaching indefinitely. Ms Softley did not appear at the November hearing but the panel had earlier been shown a letter from February 2018, which said she had left the profession and had no intention of returning to teaching.
The hearing heard evidence from the ex-student – known as Pupil B – how he performed a sex act on his teacher – just weeks after they had kissed for the first time in her flat.
The then 17-year-old told the hearing in Coventry: “She initiated a kiss and then she took her shirt off. I saw her topless. [I believe] I performed a sex act on her. Ms Softley got dressed again and we continued to hang out.”
The former student, now 23, said his teacher was “uncoordinated and missed the gears” when she drove to pick him up from his house weeks earlier. He told how he was left alone in her living room after she collapsed in bed, half-naked.
“We were sitting very close on the sofa. Miss Softley had stretched her legs across me. After about 30 minutes of us entering the flat, she initiated a kiss. It was a proper kiss, a snog. Ms Softley instigated it but I wasn’t resistant.
“We carried on drinking until Miss Softley excused herself to go to the toilet. After she was missing for 10 minutes, I went looking for her and found her asleep in bed. I wrote a note which say ‘I’ve gone – see you tomorrow.’ The next day was a school day.”
School chiefs were alerted when a teacher overheard pupils joking about being bought drinks by Ms Softley at an end-of-year prom but dropped an investigation after denials from both teacher and pupil, the hearing was told. It emerged that Ms Softley was handed a warning in 2008 after admitting a one-night stand with another music student who was preparing for A-levels. But the matter was never made public by school bosses, the hearing was told. Ms Softley, who was quizzed by police over the sex sessions, resigned from the school – rated “outstanding” by Ofsted and described as one of Britain’s top state schools – in 2017. Derbyshire police confirmed Ms Softley was questioned in 2017 but a decision not to prosecute was taken.
The matter was instead referred to Derbyshire Safeguarding Children’s Board. A spokesman for Ecclesbourne School said: “The decision to retain Ms Softley’s employment in 2008 was taken by the previous head teacher after a thorough investigation and consultation with all of the relevant education and safeguarding agencies.
“As soon as allegations surfaced in 2013, we conducted an exhaustive internal inquiry, but we were not presented with sufficient evidence for us to conclude that these were anything more than unfounded rumours and gossip. As such, our position was that there was no legal basis upon which we could take any disciplinary action.
“When we were informed of the police’s investigation last year, we took the instant decision to suspend Miss Softley, who was not allowed to return to school and whose contract was subsequently terminated at the earliest possible opportunity.”
Ms Softley has 28 days to appeal against the agency’s decision.
Despite a warning for her conduct in 2008, Miss Softley went on to act in a similar way in respect of Pupil B.
Alan Meyrick Ecclesbourne School