Teacher banned from schools after affair with former pupil

A NOTTS teacher who had an affair with a ex-pupil has been banned from the classroom.

Michael Taylor, 51, had a fling with the girl in the 1990s when she was 16 and 17.

He was not her teacher at the time, and she was above the age of consent.

But the Teaching Agency panel has now found he behaved unacceptably and banned him from teaching for two years.

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Mr Taylor was head of science and the girl's teacher at Soar Valley High School, Leicester, before he moved to the former Greenwood Dale School in Sneinton.

There were allegations that he had a sexual relationship with the girl when she was underage and still a pupil at Soar Valley High School, but all criminal charges against him were dismissed after a trial. The judge concluded the girl had lied under oath.

Following the trial in 2007, Mr Taylor, who at the time was living in Toft Close, Cotgrave, was cleared of eight charges of indecent assault with the girl when she was under 16, and two offences of gross indecency with a child.

However, he admitted he had an affair with her after she left school.

The Teaching Agency panel said that it placed no reliance whatsoever on the crown court allegations.

However, it said that an Independent Social Work Consultant, Susan Nash, had investigated the allegation on behalf of the local authority.

She gave evidence that Mr Taylor admitted to her at a meeting in 2008, that he had had a sexual relationship with girl after she left school.

Mr Taylor had described her as an "attractive, confident and independent young woman, who had made advances to him some time after she had left school".

The panel said that it wished to make "very clear" that its findings against Mr Taylor were "based solely on the admissions made by Mr Taylor".

But, referring to the girl as Pupil A, it continued: "We have concluded that this relationship was initially forged at a time when Pupil A and Mr Taylor were at the same school.

"Even though there is then a lapse of several months before Mr Taylor and Pupil A began their brief affair, we consider that Mr Taylor still held a position of trust toward his former pupil and, judged on today's standards, Mr Taylor's behaviour was unprofessional and the public would regard it as unacceptable."

A spokesperson for the former Greenwood Dale School said: "The allegations made by Pupil A were not made whilst Mr Taylor was in the employment of Greenwood Dale School.

The Post visited Mr Taylor's home yesterday for a comment but there was no reply.