A Wood Green teacher who engaged in “sexual activity” with a vulnerable pupil as she prepared for her GCSE exams has been banned from the country’s classrooms for life.

Philip Barnwell, 36, was found guilty of unacceptable conduct over his relationship with a Year 11 pupil whilst at Woodside High School in White Hart Lane, Wood Green, between 2007 and 2008.

The pair spent two nights in a Brighton hotel during term time in June 2008 – Barnwell telling the school he was off sick.

A disciplinary panel of the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) also found that the two shared a bed when they spent another night at his marital home in Leytsonstone. One of the girl’s friends known as Pupil B slept on the floor.

Barnwell was suspended by the school in July 2008 pending police and school investigations, just after Pupil A had completed her GCSEs.

He has not taken part in the majority of the NCTL hearings, but claimed Pupil B was lying. He also said he had taken his wife to Brighton’s Royal York Hotel to resolve their personal difficulties.

However, the panel found Pupil B was telling the truth and that, on the balance of probabilities, Barnwell had gone to the hotel with Pupil A, not his wife.

Imposing the ban on behalf of Education Secretary Michael Gove, NCTL deputy director Alan Meyrick said: “Mr Barnwell abused the position of trust that he held, and, he engaged in sexual activity with Pupil A. This is very serious misconduct. I am satisfied that Mr Barnwell’s actions were both deliberate and at times carefully planned.”

He said Barnwell had shown “no evidence of insight or remorse”.

Barnwell is banned indefinitely from teaching in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England. He has a right of appeal to the High Court.

Dame Joan McVittie, headteacher at Woodside High School, said today: “This whole process has made me very angry. Mr Barnwell was suspended and reported by the school to the local authority child protection team, as at that time we were a local authority school, so that he could be investigated. The police were unable to prosecute him on a technicality.

“My governors dismissed Mr Barnwell and I reported him to the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) who ban teachers and they made a decision to do nothing as Mr Barnwell claimed that he was not guilty.

“Over six years later Mr Barnwell resurfaced in the Midlands, teaching in Harris school in Rugby. The school contacted me and asked for a reference.

“I referred the matter for a second time to both the police and the ISA. Once again the police were unable to prosecute him.

“This time the ISA did decide to hold a hearing and then to ban Mr Barnwell for life. Together with several members of staff and the police officer I attended the hearing as a witness.

“I have written to the Secretary Of State to ask for an investigation into the reasons that he was not dealt with all those years ago.”

Hornsey Journal