Milton Keynes teacher banned from classrooms for life after attempting sexual communication with child

A primary school teacher has been banned indefinitely from teaching after he was convicted of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

James Young, 30, formerly taught at Bletchley’s Romans Field School, a special school for children aged five to 11 with social, emotional and mental health needs.

He had taught there since 2018 but was arrested in May 2020 and suspended from his job as a result. His contract was later terminated.

In June last year he was convicted at Northampton Magistrates Court of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, a person under 16 who he did not reasonably believe to be 16 or over.

The incident took place outside of the education setting, in an adult online chatroom.

The charge read: “The communication being intended to encourage her to make a communication that was sexual, namely sexual gratification, contrary to section 1(1) of the Criminal Attempts Act 1981.”

Mr Young was sentenced to eight months imprisonment, suspended for two years. He was ordered to undertake a rehabilitation activity requirement for a maximum of 10 days and to participate in the Horizon Sexual Offending Credited Programme for 31 sessions.

The court also ordered him to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and made him subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and the Sex Offenders Register for a period of 10 years.

Last month a Teaching Regulations Agency panel met to consider whether he should be allowed to teach again.

The panel stated that the offence took place outside an education setting and had not involved pupils or other members of Romans Field School.

Their report states: “Mr Young used his title of being a primary school teacher as his username and made reference to his profession within his communications. Further, he engaged in sexual and inappropriate conversation with a person who he believed to be a child, despite having been informed by the child of their age on several occasions during their conversations.

"Nevertheless, having considered all the facts of the case, the panel considered that Mr Young’s actions and conviction were relevant to his profession as a teacher and him working with children and/or in an education setting,” the report said.

“The panel noted that the behaviour involved in committing the offence could have had an impact on the safety or security of pupils and/or members of the public,” it added.

Panel members heard Young had received “very thorough” safeguarding training as part of his employment.

They found his actions leading to his conviction an extremely serious breach of safeguarding requirements and concluded that Mr Young presented a significant risk to pupils and/or children.

In his defence, the former teacher said the incident “was an act of utter stupidity, a total mistake, which was completely out of character.”

He said he had “struggled during Covid and the lockdowns, especially not being able to do the one thing I love - classroom teaching.”

The panel decided to ban Young from teaching indefinitely. This means he cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England.

He is not allowed to apply for the restoration of his eligibility to teach.