Harefield Academy's former principal banned indefinitely for 'inappropriately touching female students'

A former principal and head of safeguarding at Harefield Academy has been banned from teaching indefinitely after he was found to have inappropriately touched five female students.

Mark Andrew Poulter stepped down from his role as principal on August 21 last year after the allegations surfaced.

The incidents occurred between September and October 2014 when the 53-year-old squeezed pupils' waists on a number of occasions, touched the bottom of one pupil's back, put his hands on another's hips, and also grabbed a pupil's nose and kicked her feet under a table.

The report said the actions made the pupils feel uncomfortable.

A report published online by the National College for Teaching and Leadership's professional conduct panel after a meeting last month, stated Mr Poulter had admitted many of the allegations, while the panel was satisfied others were proven.

The report does not refer to any criminal proceedings having taken place following the allegations.

It stats: "The panel noted that it was clear from the admissions of Mr Poulter and the statements of others that Mr Poulter had deliberately bypassed the school’s policies and procedures and tried to dictate the outcome of the investigation to ensure that he received no more than a 'spanking' and a letter on his record stating that he had shown ill judgement."

'Pupil's must be able to view teachers as role models'

The report concludes: “The panel finds that Mr Poulter's actions, particularly in his role as a principal, constitute conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute.

“The panel has taken account of the uniquely influential role that teachers can hold in pupil's lives and that pupils must be able to view teachers as role models in the way they behave.”

The Harefield school celebrated its best exam results ever in 2014 after Mr Poulter took over has principal in 2013.

Mr Poulter was also the head of safeguarding at the school, and was found to have 'failed to maintain appropriate professional boundaries and professional standards'.

He also failed to appropriately deal with allegations against him as he did not remove himself from the investigation and attempted to resolve the matter himself.

The professional conduct panel met on July 14 in Coventry to determine Mr Poulter's fate.

Banned indefinitely

After the meeting, the panel recommended to the Secretary of State that Mr Poulter be banned from teaching.

On behalf of the Secretary of State, Alan Meyrick from the department for Education said: “I am also satisfied that the conduct of Mr Poulter fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession.

“Mr Mark Poulter is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children's home in England.”

Mr Poulter can apply to have the order to be removed but not until July 22 2021 – five years after it was issued, and he is not guaranteed to be allowed to teach again.