City school says banned teacher’s sex activities did not involve pupils
A NOTTINGHAM school has confirmed no pupils were involved in the sexual activities of a teacher.
It comes after the former teacher at Nottingham High School was banned indefinitely after admitting to sexual online communication with a 15-year-old and 16-year-old and possessing an indecent video on his computer.
Thomas Nixey, 35, joined the school in September 2016 and was promoted to head of religious studies in September 2019.
A Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel heard that while Mr Nixey admitted to the offences, he did not recall the events.
Police concerns regarding the teacher’s actions arose after American law enforcement contacted officers regarding indecent images of a child that were uploaded to a Twitter account traced within the UK. The hearing, held in February and which Mr Nixey did not attend, was told that the teacher engaged in a Skype chat with a 15-year-old boy from the Philippines in December 2016 which included “highly sexual language”.
The police also found a foursecond computer-generated video from May 2018 which showed sexually explicit footage of two girls aged 12 to 14 in a classroom with an adult male. Mr Nixey also received a sexual picture from a 16-year-old.
The teacher was arrested at the school and was suspended with immediate effect. He was then brought in for questioning and Mr Nixey’s employment ended on January 20, 2021. Police did not take the case any further.
The panel found that “the conduct of Mr Nixey fell significantly short of the standard of behaviour expected of a teacher” and that he “was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct”. The teacher submitted a written statement expressing his regret, adding that he is “seeking to rebuild himself”.
The panel said: “The lack of full insight or remorse means that there is some risk of the repetition of this behaviour and this puts at risk the future wellbeing of pupils.”
The panel found all of the allegations proven and that they amount to unacceptable professional conduct and conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute.
This was followed by a recommendation to the Secretary of State that Mr Nixey should be the subject of a prohibition order, with no provision for a review period. The panel said: “In the light of the panel’s findings, there was no evidence that Mr Nixey’s actions were not deliberate.
“He has admitted to the allegations in the completed Notice of Proceedings form and during his police interviews he relied wholly on the argument that he did not recall the conversations.”
Mr Nixey is now prohibited from teaching indefinitely in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England. He is also not entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach.
A spokesperson from Nottingham High School said: “We can confirm that a former teacher at Nottingham High School has been prohibited from teaching.
“As soon as a concern was raised, the school alerted the relevant authorities. In January 2021 he was dismissed following a disciplinary hearing on the grounds of professional misconduct and referred to the Teachers Regulation Agency.
“The incident did not involve anyone connected to the school. Pupils’ safety is our overriding priority and the school is meticulous in ensuring that all who are in a position of trust fully understand expectations not only of their own conduct but also of raising low-level concerns relating to others.”