Penrith teacher that had relationship with student banned from teaching indefinitely

A Penrith teacher has been banned from the profession indefinitely Daniel Roberts, 32 who joined the Penrith secondary school as head of music in September 2017 exchanged inappropriate emails with a girl, had given her lifts in his car and met with her for social activities during his time as head of music at the Penrith school, between 2019 and 2021.

A misconduct panel heard the relationship turned sexual in June 2022, after she left the school.

The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) found, that the proven conduct was serious and it had previously been referred to the police, but no further action was taken.

Mr Roberts admitted exchanging 3,000 pages worth of inappropriate and personal emails with the student between September 2019 and April 2021, and offering her lifts in his car.

The panel was shown examples, which included a discussion about the student taking a bath in 2020.

Mr Roberts, who was employed at the school from 2017, told the panel he attended events with her family and he was invited to her home.

Mr Roberts admitted to starting a sexual relationship from June 2022 after the student had left the school but denied his conduct prior to then was sexually motivated. 

He said it would have "repulsed him to see or be a teacher who wanted to engage in a romantic or sexual relationship with a pupil".

The panel said it had not been given evidence that a sexual relationship had started before the student referred to as Pupil A had left the school..

It added that "Mr Roberts may have been contemplating some sort of future relationship with the pupil, it could not be satisfied that this was a sexual relationship".

Mr Roberts told someone at the school that he was in a romantic relationship with a former pupil in June 2022. He was suspended the following month with the school conduction an investigation in the situation.

The report said "There were multiple failures by Mr Roberts to address the safeguarding risk, and Mr Roberts actively encouraged and engaged in inappropriate communication with the pupil"

Regarding the emails, lifts and social meets, the panel was satisfied that Mr Roberts was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct.

The panel was not satisfied that there had been a breach of the teachers' standards regarding the sexual relationship as there was "no clear guidance on when it may be considered appropriate for a teacher to engage in a sexual relationship with a former pupil".

Mr Roberts was prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children's home in England and will not be able to apply for the prohibition order to be set aside until 6 January 2030.

The prohibition order published on the 7th April 2025 by The Secretary of State can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-misconduct-panel-outcome-mr-daniel-roberts