A maths teacher who ran his fingers through a female pupil's hair and sang 'I love you' to another has been banned from teaching by a disciplinary panel.
Anthony Hook, 66, was sacked by the Greater Manchester school and has been prohibited from returning to the profession after he admitted a string of allegations about interactions with pupils that left them feeling "uncomfortable".
Hook, who previously served in the Army, denied allegations that he was sexually motivated during the encounters. A professional conduct panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency accepted this following a two-day hearing.
Warnings and incidents
The panel heard that in 2015 Hook was given a handwritten letter by the school telling him "not to touch students and staff" following complaints he touched male and female children on their arms and shoulders, which the teacher admitted. The board said Hook had "failed to learn" from that warning.
Hook had put his arms around one child, referred to as Pupil A, at least ten times, including in the classroom and hallway, making the child "feel uncomfortable". To the same pupil, the teacher also said "I like your lippy", or words to that effect. Hook said his intention was 'benign' but his comments could be 'open to misinterpretation'.
In a police interview in 2019, Hook said he touched Pupil A's hair but "not that often". He later admitted he ran his fingers through their hair on more than one occasion.
Trial and further allegations
Hook went on trial in 2023 after being accused of over 20 sexual offences against eight female pupils at the school, where he worked for almost 20 years. After a two-week trial, he was found not guilty of all counts.
Another pupil, referred to as Pupil B, said Hook ran his fingers through her hair multiple times and said he "twirls it". Hook said there was no indication the child was "bothered or upset" and said he would have stopped "at once and apologised" if he realised they were.
Hook was also said to have told Pupil B to "come over to my house for a change" after the child asked to have his work checked. The then-teacher denied this in a police interview, and the panel adopted it as meaning his desk and not his house.
Panel findings and ban
The former teacher admitted saying "I will be your prom date" on more than one occasion to Pupils B and C. The panel also found that Hook wrote "I love Mr Hook" on the planner or exercise book of Pupil C and another child referred to as Pupil R. Hook admitted to contacting another pupil, referred to as Pupil L, on Facebook, saying he thought the messages were "nice and it was a pleasant conversation".
In his 2019 police interview, Hook said "he was a tactile person". He also said he was "not trying to groom anybody" but was "trying to be nice to them and boost them". During a police interview in February 2021, Hook again reiterated that there was no sexual intent in his conduct, stating he was a "touchy feely kind of guy".
The panel said Hook had been "seeking to develop overfriendly relationships with the children under his care and supervision" through what he perceived to be "fun and light-hearted remarks and conduct". It added: "The panel considered that Mr Hook had been seeking to support the pupils by the development of such an overfamiliar relationship with them rather than having any sexual motivation."
The panel's result stated: "Mr Anthony Hook is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children's home in England". He can apply to have the prohibition order removed in two years.
The panel's findings said: "The findings of misconduct are serious, and the conduct displayed would be likely to have a negative impact on the individual's status as a teacher. The panel considered that Mr Hook's conduct could potentially damage the public's perception of a teacher. For these reasons, the panel found that Mr Hook's actions constituted conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute."
