Life ban for teacher who fantasised about pupils

A science teacher who confessed to a colleague that he had sexual fantasies about pupils whose images he had viewed on Instagram has been banned from the profession for life.

Jacob Woodland, 28, admitted he had looked at photographs of several female students, three of whom under 18, a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) hearing was told.

The panel heard Woodland confessed on 24 August 2024 to the acting head of Ripley St Thomas Church of England Academy in Lancaster and wrote a statement in which he admitted his misconduct.

"I am truly sorry but I have done something inappropriate and I cannot live with myself without being honest," he wrote.

The teacher, who had worked at the school for five years, added: "I have looked at publicly available Instagram content of some senior female pupils at school and used these to fantasise for my own pleasure."

He was suspended the next day and resigned two months later.

The panel noted Woodland admitted that his conduct was sexual in nature and sexually motivated.

His statement to the school also said the images were "clothed or partially unclothed" and may have included images of pupils wearing a bikini.

The panel said it was satisfied that Woodland was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct and his actions amounted to conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute.

Colleagues said Woodland was a popular teacher.

One said: "His professionalism in the workplace was always second to none. He always went about his job in school with the utmost integrity and could be relied upon to speak a kind word of encouragement and offer help to anyone in need."

However the panel said it was "concerned about the limited amount of remorse shown" by Woodland and "the depth of his insight into the impact of his actions on pupils and the seriousness of them from a safeguarding point of view.

"For example, Woodland did not appear to have insight into why it was necessary for the academy to share his actions with pupils' parents."

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