A 34-year-old teacher has been banned from the profession after sending a student more than 100 texts in a single evening and describing them as a ‘very special person’.
Stephen White was a teacher at St Wilfrid’s Catholic School in Crawley when he ‘engaged in an inappropriate relationship’ with Pupil A.
He also featured as Buddy the Elf in the West Sussex school’s ‘epic mini-version’ of the famous Christmas film, which included 64 members of staff in 2018.
Between March 2020 and March 2023, White sent the student emails of a personal nature, with several sent outside of school hours.
An email from the teacher to Pupil A in May 2021 read: ‘Just wanted to say a massive thank you for my card and gifts…
‘Thank you for being a good friend to me, also! I will miss you tremendously, you have no idea,’ before signing off: ‘Stephen x.’
The 34-year-old also sent the student ‘upwards of 100 text messages’ in one evening after giving Pupil A his personal phone number.
During a probe into White’s misconduct, the student said she and White decided to text as the emails were monitored and they believed they were ‘being watched’.
Meanwhile, it was found that White took ‘deliberate steps’ to ensure the school did not discover they were communicating and did not follow management guidelines to limit contact with Pupil A.
White had also written a letter of ‘two to three’ double-sided pages to Pupil A, and had also told her she was a ‘very special person’ and referred to her as ‘#1’.
The teacher sent a picture of his newborn to Pupil A and had also given the student gifts, including a book of mindfulness quotes, as well as a chocolate bar and a drink, before an exam.
His conduct was ‘dishonest’, ‘lack[ed] integrity’ and Mr White also proved to be a ‘safeguarding risk to Pupil A’, according to the Teaching Regulatory Authority report.
An email exchange in 2022 also saw White apologise to Pupil A for being ‘colder’ and ‘blunter; after being advised by senior staff to limit his amount of contact with her.
She replied: ‘Yeah, thanks for letting me know I’m just in complete shook [sic] and well don’t need the added stress but yeah not much I can say.
‘I’m really sorry aswell [sic] I don’t want anything bad to happen to you and I’m sorry this has put a strain on you!’
Several teachers, including the deputy headteacher in January 2023, also reported seeing White alone with the pupil on school premises.
In January 2023, a former pupil notified the school that Pupil A and White had been communicating via text messages.
White had not reported his correspondence with the student to the school, and when first confronted, he initially denied it.
St Wilfrid’s Catholic School informed the local authority about the matter, and following an internal probe, White was suspended and then dismissed the next day.
The TRA panel found the teacher had breached the Teachers Standards, including observing proper boundaries, treating pupils with dignity, building relationships rooted on mutual respect and safeguarding.
It concluded the teacher was ‘guilty of unacceptable professional conduct’.
Mr White has been banned from teaching indefinitely and can no longer teach in any sixth form college, school, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England.
However, he can apply for his eligibility to teach to be restored.
Michael Ferry, the headteacher of St Wilfred’s Catholic School said: ‘As you might expect, I am bound by matters of confidentiality regarding the specifics of this case.
‘However, as per the TRA report, I can confirm that the school acted quickly, informed the relevant authorities, and as was then, and still is now, we remain committed to the safeguarding of all students and staff within the school community.’
