A supply teacher who performed a sex act in a public toilet while wearing only a bra has been banned from teaching for life. Steven Ballantyne, 41, was caught by a mother and her five-year-old daughter in an unlocked cubicle at a BP garage in Alnwick, Northumberland, in January 2021.
Another woman also witnessed the scene. Ballantyne, a performing arts teacher, was later convicted of outraging public decency at Newcastle Crown Court and dismissed by Northumberland County Council. He received a five-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.
The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) imposed an indefinite ban, ruling that Ballantyne's conduct was a 'relevant offence' and that prohibition was necessary to maintain public confidence in the profession. Decision maker Sarah Buxcey stated: 'Although this matter relates to conduct outside of the education setting, the panel was of the view that Mr Ballantyne’s actions were relevant to teaching, working with children and working in an education setting.'
The panel noted that Ballantyne showed little regret or remorse. His behaviour was deemed to have fallen 'significantly short of the standards expected of the profession.' He is now barred from teaching in any school, sixth form college, or children's home in England and cannot apply for restoration of his teaching eligibility.
