January 2019

Teacher at £32,000-a-year school struck off over sexual touching with girl in common room

A former physics teacher at a £32,000-a-year boarding school has been struck off over sexual touching with an underage schoolgirl in a communal room.

Robbie Brittain, 33, draped a coat over himself and the young student to conceal the touching at private Langley School in Loddon, Norfolk, a misconduct hearing was told.

Brittain, who was cleared over child sex offences in the criminal courts, was banned from teaching after a disciplinary panel found the claims proven “on the balance of probabilities”.

The Teaching Regulation Agency heard how Brittain met with the girl after rolling out extra after-hours tuition in the school’s communal rooms.

The hearing was told that Brittain, who was engaged at the time, “touched her vaginal area” and “put her hand on his private parts”.

He still maintains his innocence over the claims made by the girl, known as Pupil A.

The hearing, in Coventry, was told how the incidents happened between 2013 and 2014.

Panel chair Anthony Greenwood said: “Pupil A states that within a few weeks of the tuition starting, Mr Brittain engaged in sexual touching with her.

“She states that Mr Brittain would place a coat over both of them which was also used as a makeshift table, but which also served the purpose of concealing this mutual touching.”

The alarm was raised when the girl shared her secret with a pal on a school trip.

A teacher was also told and Brittain was eventually arrested and charged with engaging in sexual activity with a girl under 16.

He was cleared at trial in 2016 after insisting that the student was “prone to lying and exaggerating”.

He claimed the coat was used as a makeshift table.

But the teacher disciplinary panel ruled it “could detect no motivation” by the student to “fabricate allegations”.

The hearing heard how the girl had written poetry about her teacher, including a poem directed at Brittain’s fiancee called: “Why do you want me when you have her?”

She claimed that the teacher had warned her that he would be “screwed” if she told anyone about their relationship.

The hearing found allegations of sexually motivated misconduct against Brittain proven.

He has been banned from the profession indefinitely.

Mr Greenwood added: “The panel is of the view that the account given by Pupil A was entirely convincing and has the ring of truth to it.

“Her account was both compelling and credible, and for that reason it prefers her account to that of Mr Brittain.”

Mr Greenwood added: “The panel is of the view that there is a risk of the conduct in question being repeated and pupils being exposed to a risk of harm.”

“The findings of misconduct are serious and the conduct displayed would likely have a negative impact on the individual’s status as a teacher, potentially damaging the public perception.

“In my view, it is necessary to impose a prohibition order in order to maintain public confidence in the profession.”

Brittain, formerly of Wymondham, Norfolk, left Langley School in February 2016 after signing a settlement agreement.

Fees at the elite school range from £16,000 per school year for day pupils and £32,000 for boarders.

A spokesman for Langley said Brittain was suspended as soon as the allegations came to light.