Former boarding school deputy head banned over indecent images of children

By Eleanor Busby, Reporter30th October 2024News EnglandChild Abuse, Childrens Services, News England, Residential Care, Sexual Abuse, Sussex

A former deputy headteacher at a boarding school has been banned indefinitely from teaching after he was found with indecent images of children.

Andrew Morris was suspended from his senior role at Brambletye School (pictured) in East Grinstead, West Sussex, after the police arrested him in 2020 on suspicion of possession of indecent images of children.

The 45-year-old admitted to making indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children at West Sussex Magistrates’ Court on August 12 2021.

Mr Morris, who was deputy head at the private co-educational school between September 2017 and April 2021, was put on the sex offenders register for five years and given an 18-month community order.

A Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel has now banned him from teaching in England and has said he would not be entitled to apply to teach again.

The panel concluded that Mr Morris “failed in his duty to protect public trust and confidence in the profession by his serious and illegal misconduct”.

The police received information that a user of a website uploaded a Category C indecent image of a child on July 17 2019.

They were able to identify Mr Morris as the user and he was arrested on April 21 2020.

The report from the TRA panel noted that the photograph relevant to the conviction did not involve any pupils.

The panel recommended to the secretary of state that Mr Morris should be banned from teaching – calling it “proportionate and appropriate” – with no provision for a review period.

Sarah Buxcey, acting on behalf of the secretary of state, said: “The panel finds that the conduct of Mr Morris fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession.

“The findings of misconduct are particularly serious as they include a finding of a relevant conviction for making indecent images of children.”

Ms Buxcey agreed with the panel’s recommendations and made the prohibition order with no review period.

She added: “This means that Mr Andrew Stephen Morris is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England.

“Furthermore, in view of the seriousness of the allegations found proved against him, I have decided that Mr Morris shall not be entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach.”

A spokesman for Brambletye School said: “Brambletye School was informed of serious allegations against Mr Morris in April 2020.

“He was suspended by the school with immediate effect and not permitted to return to the school site.

“Alongside the police inquiry, the school launched its own internal investigation and, after a disciplinary hearing, Mr Morris (who had been subject to enhanced DBS checks before joining Brambletye) was dismissed from his post with immediate effect.”

He added: “The police confirmed that no Brambletye pupils were involved, nonetheless the fact that any member of our community could behave in such a way is a devastating betrayal of our trust and goes against everything that the school stands for.

“The pastoral care and protection of our children, as highlighted in our recent IS inspection report (June 2024), is fundamental to life at Brambletye and we are proud of the way we look after the pupils in our care.”