A teacher has been banned from the profession after bombarding a student with emails containing kisses and personal photos and encouraging him to drink alcohol.
Laura Martland, 39, a science teacher at Penketh High School in Warrington, Cheshire, was dismissed for misconduct in September 2021 after it emerged she had had an unprofessional relationship with the student.
A Teacher Regulation Agency panel found she had sent several messages outside school hours containing personal photos and kisses to the student, who cannot be named for legal reasons.
Ms Martland was also found to have sent a ‘bundle’ of emails on May 28, 2021, which appeared to encourage the student to consume alcohol.
In further emails, the teacher gave advice to the student about relationships, one of which was not sent until 12.29am.
Another message sent on May 7, 2021 at 10:29 PM included the words: “But not caring is a reasonable response! Xxxx.”
Science teacher Laura Martland was found to have had an ‘unprofessional relationship’ with a student, including sending emails with personal photos and appearing to encourage the student to consume alcohol
Miss Martland worked at Penketh High School from March 2007 until she was dismissed for misconduct in September 2021.
She did not attend the panel hearing, which was held in her absence, and reported her findings this week.
The allegations regarding Miss Martland’s frequent contact with ‘Student A’ came to light after they were reported on June 10, 2021 by an individual referred to as ‘Witness A’.
Witness A asked for copies of emails sent by Ms Martland, which she said had ‘more going on’, after pasting them into a Word document.
The witness told the panel that it was more common for students to communicate with teachers outside of school via email during the Covid-19 lockdown, but said clear guidelines had been implemented by the school on appropriate communication.
Miss Martland was suspended on June 11, 2021 pending an investigation. Access to her emails revealed that she had withheld information about her relationship with Student A, and also failed to report the disclosures to the school’s security team, in accordance with school policy.
The science teacher was found by the misconduct panel to have engaged in ‘unacceptable professional conduct and conduct likely to bring the profession into disrepute’.
She was given a banning order, banning her from teaching at any school, sixth form, college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s homes in England for an indefinite period.
The ban applies indefinitely, but can be revised after five years. Miss Martland can apply for the order to be set aside from January 25, 2029.
The panel’s report said: ‘It was noted that the email exchanges had taken place over a number of months, were initially school related but had become personal in nature over time.
‘Between March and June 2021, the emails covered a number of topics, including personal matters shared by both Miss Martland and Student A. It was concerning that Student A had provided information to Miss Martland regarding, among other things, underage drinking.’
The panel heard from Student A that they started communicating with Miss Martland by email about work, but as time went on they started discussing personal matters.
Student A stated that they emailed each other every day, and “there was never really a lull in the emails,” and told the panel that they recognized that the relationship had become “unprofessional.”
In its report, the panel noted: ‘Miss Martland failed to take advantage of the many opportunities she had to properly raise safety concerns.
“Instead, she continued to withhold and conceal inappropriate discussions about personal issues, consistently failing to reduce exchanges to purely academic matters, reset the relationship to that of teacher-student, or refer personal concerns to the right colleagues at school.
‘The panel therefore concluded that Ms Martland’s conduct indicated a lack of professional judgment and self-awareness.’
Miss Martland was dismissed from her role at Penketh High School in Warrington, Cheshire in September 2021 due to misconduct
It added: ‘Miss Martland was not involved in the TRA proceedings in any meaningful way. In particular, the panel did not receive any evidence from Ms Martland and therefore she showed no insight or remorse for her actions.”
Miss Martland’s misconduct was found to be of a serious nature and fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession.
The report concluded: ‘Accordingly, the panel was satisfied that Ms Martland had engaged in unacceptable professional conduct and conduct likely to bring the profession into disrepute.’
In a statement, The Challenge Academy Trust, which runs Penketh High School, said: ‘Laura Martland joined Penketh High School in March 2007.
‘In June 2021, the academy identified a serious safeguarding concern involving Ms Martland, who was subsequently suspended. With protection being the academy’s first priority, a full disciplinary investigation was launched.
“Miss Martland was dismissed in September 2021 following a disciplinary hearing.
‘In accordance with its legal obligations, the academy has liaised with the local authority’s designated officer throughout this matter and referred the matter to both the Disclosure and Barring Service and the Teaching Regulation Agency.’