A former maths teacher who returned to his old school in Dingle exchanged dozens of emails with a teenage pupil after hours. Jamil Wali faces a series of allegations relating to his conduct while teaching maths at King’s Leadership Academy Liverpool in 2024.
Excessive emails and inappropriate contact
A Teacher Regulation Agency (TRA) hearing was told how Mr Wali sent more than 80 emails to a pupil known only as pupil A between January and March 2024. Among them was a message that said he would find her the “perfect boyfriend.” Officials are expected to return a decision on Mr Wali’s future in the profession later today (Tuesday). He faces an allegation that some of the communication was sexual in its nature.
The hearing was told how he was suspended by Kings Leadership Academy in March 2024. Felix Keating, on behalf of the TRA, told the panel how the amount of emails Mr Wali had sent to pupil A were “excessive” in their number and it had been accepted his contact with her was inappropriate.
School policy and defence arguments
It is alleged Mr Wali contacted the pupil after 6pm, which was said to be outside school policy. Mr Keating said the teacher had denied any knowledge of such guidelines. The TRA representative told the panel how Mr Wali had claimed he’d had “no training in professional boundaries” and told pupil A he “cared for her” and encouraged her to seek one to one therapy sessions with him.
Jonathan Storey, representing Mr Wali, said the case against his client was “weak” and described the teacher as a “serious, insightful and conscientious young man”. He added how pupil A had turned to the teacher as he was someone who was helpful to her and Mr Wali was of the belief he could continue to support her.
Admission of misconduct
Mr Storey said his client accepted he had failed at stepping away from the teenager and “should have put some distance” between them. The advocate added the 86 emails sent in the two month period amounted to a “handful a week” with very few of concern. He said Mr Wali had accepted his language towards pupil A had been inappropriate and had used overly friendly terms like “bro” or “mate” as he believed it was part of the “local Scouse vernacular”. Regarding the remark he made about finding the student a boyfriend, Mr Storey said his client had made a “silly throwaway comment”.
The emails between the pair were described as “obviously well meaning advice” but was ultimately misguided. Mr Storey said the emails contained “no sexual content of any kind” and the closest this allegation came was the boyfriend remark. He said this had been Mr Wali’s “silly and misguided attempt” to reassure the student. Mr Storey said the teacher had accepted there had been misconduct on his part and his ongoing communications had been wrong.
Panel members are expected to reconvene later today to deliver their decision. The hearing continues.
