Thomas Moss, a former chemistry teacher and head of Year 10 at Belvedere Academy in south Liverpool, has been banned from the profession after an inappropriate relationship with a pupil turned sexual shortly after she left the school. Moss, 29, resigned in May 2022 after being suspended the previous March.
The Teacher Regulation Agency (TRA) panel, which met earlier this month, found that Moss engaged in or developed an inappropriate relationship with the pupil, referred to as Pupil A, through WhatsApp messages, emails outside school hours, one-to-one meetings, and inviting her into his home on more than one occasion. The panel also heard that sexual activity took place shortly after the pupil was no longer on the school roll.
Emails exchanged between the pair exceeded 150 pages, with one late-night exchange running from 8.12pm until 12.07am, and another from 6.31pm to 11.44pm the following day. The content included discussions about Pupil A's wellbeing and a television series. The panel described the volume and timing of the emails as inappropriate, indicating blurred professional boundaries.
Moss, who did not attend the hearing, denied the allegations and claimed that continued contact after the pupil left was as family friends. The panel, however, found it more probable than not that he had met Pupil A alone outside school premises, and concluded that professional boundaries should have been maintained for a reasonable period after her departure.
Banning him from teaching, the panel ruled that his conduct amounted to unacceptable professional behaviour, bringing the profession into disrepute.
