Teacher Banned Indefinitely After Inappropriate Relationship With Pupil

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A teacher at an East Sussex boarding school has been banned from the profession after declaring his love for a pupil.

A disciplinary panel found Benjamin Phelps, 31, guilty of serious misconduct linked to his behaviour towards a student at Bede's School, near Hailsham.

The panel heard Phelps met the pupil outside of lessons, hugged them, kissed them on the cheek and sent a series of inappropriate messages.

He also asked the student to skip school to spend time together.

At the time, Phelps worked as a deputy boarding housemaster, tutor and performing arts technician at the school, which caters for pupils aged 13 to 18.

He was dismissed in April 2024 following an internal investigation.

The Teaching Regulation Agency has since banned him from teaching indefinitely, publishing its findings on Friday.

Messages shown to the panel included declarations of love and highly inappropriate comments. In one, Phelps told the pupil he loved them and encouraged them to contact him about anything.

Other messages described strong emotional and physical feelings towards the student.

The panel said the situation escalated in February 2024 when the pupil attempted to kiss Phelps.

While he did not reciprocate and tried to re-establish professional boundaries, he failed to report the incident and admitted that cheek-kissing had taken place previously.

An allegation that his behaviour amounted to grooming was not proven.

In a statement, Bede’s School said it was “deeply saddened” by the distress caused, stressing that pupil welfare remains its highest priority.

The school added that an independent safeguarding review found its policies and procedures to be robust, with no systemic failings identified.