In a significant disciplinary outcome, Joanna Broad-Reeder, a teacher associated with St Margaret Ward Catholic Academy in Stoke-on-Trent, has been banned from teaching indefinitely after acknowledging her involvement in an inappropriate relationship with a former pupil. The incidents occurred while she was initially a supply teacher at St Thomas More School in Crewe, where she met the student in January 2022.

The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) conducted a professional conduct panel that detailed Broad-Reeder’s actions, which included maintaining contact with the pupil after she transitioned to St Margaret Ward Catholic Academy in September 2022. Evidence presented at the hearing indicated that Broad-Reeder, 58, met with the student on several occasions, including outings to a meal, an art gallery, and a cinema.

In her admissions, Broad-Reeder acknowledged the exchanges of personal messages between September 2022 and January 2024. One such WhatsApp message, reportedly revealing her feelings, stated: “Just this very moment, I realise what it is I feel for you. It is love – a love of who I used to be and who I longed for when I was young – which was you.”

In response to the findings, a TRA report indicated Broad-Reeder accepted that her behaviour constituted unacceptable professional conduct. She expressed admiration for the pupil’s “intellect, maturity, and love of the arts”, claiming it was solely about appreciation and not sexual in nature. However, the panel noted that while they did not investigate the motivations behind her messages, they found the tone and content to be inappropriate.

Broad-Reeder also submitted emails to her lawyers in which she reflected upon her conduct, stating, “I totally understand that I may have exceeded the parameters. I am only guilty of emotionally caring for and enjoying sharing the arts with the pupil.” She expressed regret over the impact of her actions on her career, reputation, and personal connections.

Despite her expressions of remorse, the panel found that her apologies lacked genuine insight into the consequences of her actions, indicating that her concern was primarily focused on the ramifications for herself rather than for the pupil involved. Consequently, the panel concluded that Broad-Reeder must be struck off indefinitely from any teaching role in England, with the possibility to apply for the prohibition order to be lifted after March 2029, pending further review.

In a separate case, Mark Holland, a teacher from Great Academy Ashton in Ashton-under-Lyne, faced scrutiny for making inappropriate comments to students, including an unsettling remark directed toward a Muslim pupil regarding her hijab. Between March and December 2022, Holland’s comments included calling a student a “dumb blonde” and suggesting that another student “could do better” in relation to her boyfriend.

A panel from the TRA ruled that despite Holland’s comments falling short of the professional standards expected of teachers, the conduct did not meet the threshold for serious misconduct that would warrant a ban from teaching. The panel noted that his remarks, particularly toward the Muslim student whom he referred to as “The Nun,” were deemed religiously insensitive rather than racially motivated.

Holland, who had been with the school for nearly five years, was compelled to leave following a disciplinary hearing in September 2023. He apologised for his actions and stated that he recognised the need to amend his approach to engaging with pupils. TRA decision-maker Sarah Buxcey concluded that imposing a prohibition order was not deemed proportional or in the public interest, emphasising that the public airing of the findings adequately conveyed the importance of maintaining appropriate standards of conduct within the teaching profession.

Source: Noah Wire Services