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A teacher who sent explicit pictures of herself to a 15-year-old pupil has been banned from the profession for life.
Georgia Lowe, 27, was caught when “inappropriate” notes were found by the boy’s mother.
Her relationship with him began with late-night email sessions using emojis and nicknames, months after she started in the role, a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel heard.
When the affair came to light, Ms Lowe was suspended by the school, but she contacted the pupil again, sending him sexual images of herself, the TRA panel was told.
After resigning, the teacher was found guilty of engaging in sexual communication with a child and was handed a 14-month suspended jail term, the panel heard.
Ms Lowe began working as a trainee teacher at Kingsmead School, Staffordshire, in July 2021.
In September that year, when she was “responsible” for the then 15-year-old, she began emailing him as late as 10pm, the panel was told.
Her messages included heart symbol emojis, would often end with a kiss, and used nicknames, the panel heard.
Ms Lowe wrote to the pupil using phrases like “make me proud”, “try not to miss me too much” and “you’ve already made my day”, the TRA was told.
In October 2021, the boy’s mother found notes she believed were from Ms Lowe and reported her concerns to the school. An investigation was launched, and Ms Lowe was suspended, the panel heard.
Despite having “a warning shot across her bows”, the teacher contacted the boy again, and sent him intimate photos, the TRA was told.
Ms Lowe resigned in November 2021 and was charged by the police.
She initially denied the charge before changing her plead to guilty on the day of trial, the panel heard.
Ms Lowe was sentenced to 14 months jail, suspended for 18 months, and was put on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.
In his sentencing remarks, the judge said Ms Lowe committed a “gross breach of trust” and “used the environment in which you were working with (the pupil) to pursue what was evidently your sexual interest in him”.
“You moved on to the passing of inappropriate notes to him, and ultimately, by the end of the period that we are concerned with, matters escalated to private digital communications between you and him, including you sending him images of yourself in your underwear,” the judge said.
“The concerning aspect of your case is that after matters came to light, by his mother having found out what was going on, you were spoken to, and yet you still had another face-to-face meeting with him at school, and ultimately, when the investigation was launched and you were suspended from work, you contacted him again, and that included the sending of the images of yourself to him.
“That was a warning shot across your bows, the investigation at school, and the suspension, but you did not bring your pursuit of him to an end at that point in time.”
On behalf of the Secretary of State, decision maker Marc Cavey said Ms Lowe’s behaviour was “incompatible with working as a teacher”.
He decided she should be prohibited from teaching indefinitely.