Female teacher who had sex with pupil removed from register

A woman who had sex with a 16-year-old school pupil has been struck off the UK teaching register, a disciplinary panel has ruled.

Emma Louise Ager was teaching English at Rhymney Comprehensive school in South Wales when she began the relationship with the teenager.

A hearing in Cardiff was told the pair would meet up almost daily to have sex in her car - with her telling the youngster he would be "a legend" among his friends.

Miss Ager, 34, denied the allegations, but a General Teaching Council for Wales (GTCW) panel found her guilty of unacceptable professional conduct.

Panel chairman Steve Powell ruled that Miss Ager would be subject to an "indefinite" prohibition order.

He said: "Miss Ager will not be allowed to reapply for admission on the teaching register.

"The gravity of her conduct was such that the registrant's re-admittance would not be in the interests of pupils or parents.

"The order is necessary to protect pupils and maintain confidence in the teaching profession."

The boy - referred to as Pupil A in the hearing - was studying for his GSCEs when Miss Ager began driving him to secret sex sessions in a factory car park in 2008.

At that time, the Irish-born teacher had been at the school for just two years.

Pupil A said the relationship began after a friend of his got hold of her mobile phone number.

And after a prank call to her number, Miss Ager phoned back and the pair chatted.

During an earlier hearing, the boy, now 22, told the GTCW panel: "She put a bet on me not being able to keep up with her during sex."

He later claimed the teacher "bombarded" him with phone calls and sexual text messages during their two-month relationship in March 2008. The relationship ended after Pupil A got back with his ex-girlfriend.

"It was common knowledge among pupils in the school but I don't know if the teachers knew (at the time)," he had told the hearing.

But the relationship eventually did come to light after the boy's mother overheard a phone call between the pair and also saw text messages on her son's phone.

Following a meeting with the school's then headteacher Meredydd Davies James, Miss Ager resigned on March 20.

Mr James had denied knowing about the relationship between teacher and pupil.

He stressed he had only heard gossip about alleged inappropriate behaviour and did not believe there was any real substance to the claims.

However, the GTCW panel ruled that Mr James had not followed the proper child protection procedures on three occasions and was therefore guilty of unacceptable professional conduct.

It came to that decision after hearing evidence the former school head had provided Miss Ager with references for future teaching jobs - with one saying her "relationship with students" was "good".

Stroke victim Mr James, 62, has since retired - but in theory could have gone back into teaching.

With this possibility on the cards, the panel decided to make him the subject of a suspension order.

Panel chair Mr Powell said the lesser sanctions of a reprimand or conditional registration order were not appropriate enough.

"The conduct cannot be described as an isolated lapse," he added.

Mr James' name will be removed from the teaching register for a period of three months.

If he wants to reapply, he will have to pass a training programme.

A GTCW spokesman said although the decisions applied only to Wales, "reciprocal arrangements" were in place with the three other Home Nations.

Neither Miss Ager nor Mr James were present at today's hearing in the Parc Hotel, Cardiff.