A teacher who encouraged a “vulnerable” young pupil to perform a sex act on him has been banned from the classroom indefinitely.
Jason Harrison also inappropriately touched the pupil while working at Notre Dame High School in February 2019, a misconduct hearing has found.
Harrison, 35, who joined the Sheffield school in September 2015, then failed to alert staff about the incident, the tribunal heard.
Among the documentary and oral evidence presented was the witness statement the pupil’s mother gave in August 2019. She said her daughter told her Harrison had “pushed her down so that she was on the floor and said ‘it will only take ten seconds’”.
Harrison was found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct after a number of “serious” allegations were proven and he was found to have been in breach of multiple professional standards.
The panel added that the 35-year-old had shown a “complete lack of insight and remorse”, failing to recognise the “devastating” impact of his actions on the pupil and her family, instead choosing to focus on how he had been affected by the incident. It said: “Mr Harrison’s failure to take responsibility for his actions provides evidence of a real risk of repetition.”
The tribunal concluded: “The panel made very serious findings that Mr Harrison engaged in sexual conduct with Pupil A and his actions were sexually motivated.”
Harrison has consequently been banned from teaching, with no opportunity to overturn the decision.
A ruling issued last month on behalf of the education secretary said: “The findings of misconduct are particularly serious as they include a teacher engaging in sexual activity with a vulnerable pupil who was also a child.”
It continued: “This means that Mr Jason Harrison is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England.
“Furthermore, in view of the seriousness of the allegations found proved against him, I have decided that Mr Harrison shall not be entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach.”
Harrison, who had denied the allegations, did not appear at the hearing.
Notre Dame High School is a Catholic co-educational academy that caters to pupils aged 11 to 18.
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