Teacher who said he would ‘spank’ and ‘pull’ pupils banned from classroom

A teacher who said he would “spank” and “pull” female pupils has been banned from the profession.

Timothy Richard Massey Moore has been struck off after making a series of inappropriate comments to students at Clacton Coastal Academy in Essex which left them feeling “uncomfortable”.

The humanities teacher, 63, also made inappropriate and unnecessary physical contact with students – which included tickling a pupil, the Teaching Regulation Agency panel concluded.

Mr Moore, who did not attend the misconduct hearing, told a pupil: “I would spank you but it would be a bit inappropriate.”

On another occasion, he told the same pupil to carry on adjusting her bra. He also put his arm around her and patted her lower back.

In his evidence, Mr Moore said he could not recall some of the incidents but accepted he was a “tactile person”, adding that his wife had told him not to tap pupils on the shoulder.

Speaking to another female pupil, he said: “I would love to be in a detention with you three alone.”

The teacher of 30 years also said that he would “pull” one of the female students to her classmates.

The panel found Mr Moore’s actions during the 2016-17 school year amounted to both “unacceptable professional conduct and conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute”.

They added that he “failed to observe proper boundaries, in both his words and his actions.”

But the panel did not find that the teacher’s behaviour was “sexually motivated”, adding that the “risque” comments were likely to be linked to his “flamboyant” and “eccentric character”.

In March 2017, Mr Moore faced an investigation over claims he made inappropriate comments and physical contact with pupils.

He was given a first and final written warning by the school and further safeguarding training.

He continued to teach until April 2018, when a new allegation of inappropriate physical contact with a pupil led to his dismissal in July 2018.

The report concluded: “Mr Moore failed to observe proper, appropriate boundaries with pupils.

“He had been provided with and accepted additional safeguarding training following a final written warning about the required standard of conduct and observance of boundaries in relation to pupils.

“Despite all this, Mr Moore again transgressed. He found himself unable to meet the standards expected of him as a teacher notwithstanding his assertion that he had been ‘trying so hard’.”