
A married Design & Technology teacher has been struck off the teaching register for life following a professional conduct panel's discovery of an inappropriate relationship with a sixth-form pupil.
Gareth Balch, who taught at the Fullbrook School in New Haw, Surrey, was found to have engaged in a series of prohibited interactions with the student, breaching fundamental safeguarding principles.
Secret Meetings and Exchanged Gifts
The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) tribunal heard compelling evidence of Balch's misconduct. This included arranging to meet the pupil in secret on multiple occasions, well outside the boundaries of a professional teacher-student relationship.
Further compounding the seriousness of the case, Balch accepted gifts from the pupil. The tribunal concluded that his actions were "deliberate and planned" and demonstrated a clear abuse of his position of trust.
A Breach of Trust and Professional Boundaries
The panel's report was damning, stating that Mr. Balch's actions had fundamentally undermined the public's confidence in the teaching profession. His behaviour was deemed to be sexually motivated, a finding that significantly aggravated the misconduct.
By accepting gifts and arranging covert meetings, Balch displayed a complete disregard for the professional standards and ethical codes all teachers are bound by.
The Outcome: A Lifetime Prohibition
As a result of the tribunal's findings, Gareth Balch is now subject to a lifelong prohibition order. This means he is banned from teaching indefinitely in any school, sixth-form college, or youth setting in the UK.
The decision was endorsed by the Secretary of State for Education, who agreed that the only appropriate action to maintain public confidence in the education system was a permanent ban, with no possibility of a future review.