A Swindon teacher has been banned from the classroom indefinitely after he engaged in sexually motivated conversation with a young teenager.
Nathan Jones, who taught at Isambard Community School for eight years, admitted that he engaged in the Skype conversation with a child on or around 5 February 2014.
During the Skype conversation, Mr Jones requested that she send an image of herself to him, received an image from her of herself in a towel, asked her if she could send him a more explicit image of herself, and finally, asked her if she had a webcam with a view to engaging in sexual activity with her on camera.
On 19 March 2015, he was arrested on suspicion of having committed an offence of attempting to cause/incite a child aged 13 to 17 years old to become involved in pornography.
Mr Jones was interviewed by the police under caution and subsequently bailed until 17 September 2015. He was immediately suspended by the School and a safeguarding
referral was made to the local authority which held a strategy meeting on 25 March 2015.
The police subsequently conducted an investigation, at the conclusion of which Mr Jones was notified that no further action would be taken on the basis that there was insufficient evidence for a prosecution.
The School subsequently commenced a disciplinary investigation. During the course of the disciplinary process, Mr Jones resigned with immediate effect on 20 May 2016. A disciplinary hearing nevertheless proceeded on 23 May 2016 at which Mr Jones was summarily dismissed for gross misconduct.
A document, published by the government, states that the panel considered the allegations set out in the Notice of Proceedings dated 13 April 2017.
Within the document, decision maker: Alan Meyrick wrote: “This means that Mr Nathan Jones 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 Nathan Jones shall not be entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach.”
Mr Jones started at Isambard Community School in September 2008.
