Megan Lanning, a drama teacher at £45,000-a-year Ripplevale School in Rochester, Kent, has been permanently banned from teaching after sending sexually explicit selfies to a pupil, breaching professional conduct and safeguarding protocols.
A drama teacher from a private school in Rochester, Kent, has been banned from teaching for life after sending explicit nude selfies to a pupil at the £45,000-a-year Ripplevale School. Megan Lanning, 36, who taught music and performing arts at the independent day school for students with learning difficulties, was found to have engaged in serious professional misconduct after transmitting sexual images to a student she admitted to having “inappropriate feelings” for.
During the misconduct hearing, it was revealed that Lanning sent two sexually explicit images to the pupil. One image showed her “half-naked showing her boobs,” while the other was described as potentially depicting a sexual act. Lanning had reported herself to the school’s safeguarding team in February, acknowledging the inappropriateness of her actions. The hearing also heard that the teacher and pupil had spent hours communicating via phone and Instagram, expressing mutual feelings. Lanning stated she was “wrapped up in one another” with the pupil and, in a statement, said: “I remember at the time I just wanted to give all of me and wanted [them] to think I was amazing.”
Alan Wells, chair of the Teaching Regulation Agency panel, condemned Lanning’s behaviour, saying: “It was clear Miss Lanning was pursuing some sort of relationship and/or sexual gratification. She had developed feelings for a pupil at the school in respect of whom she was in a position of power and authority and had acted upon this by sending photographs of herself of a sexual nature.” He added that her conduct “amounted to misconduct of a serious nature which fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession.”
Lanning expressed remorse for her actions during the hearing, describing herself as “disgusted and repulsed” and revealing she lived in fear that her conduct would become public. She said, “Miss Lanning stated that she feels sick every time she thinks about what she did now. She stated that it was not something she would ever think of doing again, and the consequences of what she did have been ‘so hard to bear’.”
The panel concluded that Lanning’s actions were sexually motivated and therefore grossly inappropriate, given her position of authority over the student. As a result, she has been banned indefinitely from teaching in England and is barred from reapplying to the teaching register. Marc Cavey, a civil servant signing off on behalf of Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, noted the significant harm to the teaching profession’s reputation caused by the incident and confirmed that Lanning would never be allowed to resume her eligibility to teach.
Ripplevale School, where the incident took place, is known for its specialised education and support for students with learning difficulties, charging fees that can reach up to £45,000 annually. The case highlights concerns around safeguarding and professional boundaries in educational environments.
Source: Noah Wire Services
- https://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/teacher-admits-sending-naked-pictures-to-pupil-at-special-ne-323437/ – This article corroborates that Megan Lanning, a former teacher at Ripplevale School and College in Kent, was banned from the profession after admitting to sending naked pictures to a vulnerable pupil, confirming her role and the misconduct details as presented.
- https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/680b45146d6ac02ee99d84b2/TRATMPO_Megan_Lanning_conduct_panel_outcome.pdf – This official Teaching Regulation Agency document contains the professional conduct panel’s findings, confirming Lanning sent two naked pictures to the pupil and communicated with them via phone and social media, validating the specifics of the misconduct hearing.
- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-misconduct-panel-outcome-miss-megan-lanning – The UK government’s webpage details the teacher misconduct panel outcome for Megan Lanning, confirming her indefinite ban from teaching in England and the nature of the sanctions imposed, supporting the article’s statements about the teaching ban and its permanence.
- https://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/ripplevale-school-special-education-323436/ – This source provides context about Ripplevale School’s specialization in education for students with learning difficulties, supporting the article’s claim regarding the school’s focus and the annual fees charged.
- https://www.tes.com/news/teacher-banned-after-sharing-explicit-images-pupil – TES (Times Educational Supplement) reports on a teacher banned for sharing explicit images with a pupil, including details on the teacher’s remorse and the safeguarding concerns arising from the case, corroborating the article’s points about Lanning’s remorse and safeguarding issues.
- https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/apr/25/teacher-banned-for-life-over-sexual-misconduct-with-pupil – The Guardian’s report on the case includes quotes from the chair of the Teaching Regulation Agency panel condemning the teacher’s behavior and highlighting the serious nature of the misconduct, supporting the article’s statements about the panel’s views and quotes from Alan Wells.
- https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/teacher-who-sent-inherently-sexual-35121579 – Please view link – unable to able to access data
Noah Fact Check Pro
The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.
Freshness check
Score:
9
Notes:
The narrative refers to a recent teaching ban and misconduct hearing involving Megan Lanning. No indications suggest recycled or outdated content; the school and roles are current and consistent with recent disciplinary procedures. No evidence found of repeated press release usage.
Quotes check
Score:
8
Notes:
Direct quotes from the misconduct hearing, including statements from Megan Lanning and the panel chair Alan Wells, appear to be lifted from official hearing transcripts or proceedings. No earlier sources found online explicitly predating this report, indicating first publication or direct reporting from the hearing.
Source reliability
Score:
7
Notes:
The narrative originates from a mainstream UK news platform, known for wide reportage, but not considered top-tier like BBC or Reuters. Coverage of legal and professional misconduct is typical for such outlets, lending moderate reliability, but caution warranted without direct official documents.
Plausability check
Score:
9
Notes:
The details about the teacher’s misconduct, the ban, and the school’s identity align with known disciplinary procedures and typical safeguarding concerns in education. The financial figures stated correspond to reported fees of specialised private schools. There is no reason to doubt plausibility.
Overall assessment
Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS
Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): HIGH
Summary:
The narrative is timely, credible, and plausible, based on reliable reporting norms for teaching misconduct cases. Direct quotes likely come from official hearings, and no signs of recycled or outdated material were found. Moderate source reliability is offset by consistent, detailed, and verifiable information.
