A deputy headteacher has been permanently barred from teaching following a disciplinary hearing for sending inappropriate messages of a sexual nature to a minor.

Laura Hamblin, a 40-year-old English teacher and safeguarding lead, was apprehended by authorities in March 2024 on suspicion of engaging in sexual communication with a child. Over a span of eight days in March 2024, Hamblin exchanged WhatsApp messages and voice recordings with a particularly vulnerable child that were of a sexual nature.

As a consequence, she received a suspended sentence, a sexual harm prevention order, and was placed on the sex offenders’ register for a decade. Recently, a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel convened and decreed an indefinite teaching ban for Hamblin, who had resigned from her position the previous September.

The TRA panel noted that there were extensive communications amounting to 1,500 pages between Hamblin and the child, a situation deemed harmful to the student by the presiding judge. The messages progressively escalated into flirtatious and eventually explicit sexual fantasy exchanges.

The panel concluded that Hamblin had severely violated the expected standards of a teacher’s conduct and had abused her position of trust. Furthermore, she reportedly instructed the child to delete their communication to hide the inappropriate interactions.

During sentencing, the judge expressed disappointment in Hamblin’s actions, emphasizing the impact on the student’s education and emotional well-being due to the scandal. Consequently, a review period was deemed inappropriate by the teaching panel.

A spokesperson from Hamblin’s former school emphasized their commitment to student safety as their primary concern. They stated that upon learning of the allegations, immediate suspension followed, with full cooperation extended to law enforcement for the investigation. Student and staff safety remains paramount for the school.