Primary school teacher banned over indecent images

A primary school teacher who was given a suspended sentence after he admitted distributing indecent images of children has been barred from the profession.

Robert Sutcliffe, 38, was working as the assistant headteacher at Knowleswood Primary School in Bradford when he was arrested in March 2021.

He pleaded guilty to distributing indecent photographs or pseudo photographs of children at Leeds Crown Court in July 2022 and was given a 20-month jail sentence, suspended for two years.

Following a misconduct hearing the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) ruled Sutcliffe should be prohibited from teaching in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children's home in England.

The TRA said Sutcliffe's conduct "fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession".

The panel added that the offence landed at the more serious end of the spectrum, particularly because of his role as assistant headteacher of a primary school.

They also noted that public interest considerations "far outweighed any interest in retaining Mr Sutcliffe in the profession".

Sentencing remarks stated that Sutcliffe had expressed "substantial remorse" and had "gone voluntarily to try and deal with some of the issues that are underlying this behaviour".

However, Sarah Buxcey, on behalf of the Secretary of State, 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."

Sutcliffe did not attend the hearing, which took place on 3 April.

A spokesperson for Exceed Academies Trust, which runs Knowleswood Primary, said Sutcliffe's' offending occurred prior to the school becoming part of the Trust, adding that he left the school in April 2021.

They added: "The offences referred to in the TRA judgement do not relate to any children educated at the school and were committed two years prior to our stewardship.

"We are confident that robust safeguarding measures are secure within the school and we continue to ensure that all children in our care are protected."

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