Ebbsfleet Academy teacher who had inappropriate conversations with pupil about mental health and told her she had autism banned from profession

A science teacher who did not disclose a previous conviction for drug possession and attempted to diagnose a pupil, telling her she had autism, has been banned from teaching.

Simon Bell worked at Ebbsfleet Academy for nearly three years, between September 2018 and August 31, 2021.

The prohibition order comes after a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) misconduct hearing found Mr Bell showed a lack of “insight or genuine remorse”.

The teacher, who was not represented, told the TRA in correspondence before the hearing that he had “zero respect for this process”.

In the professional conduct panel outcome report, published on Tuesday (March 4), it revealed Mr Bell had said: “The fact that the TRA finds some validity in these accusations further demonstrates the complete lack of any kind of justice within this system.”

In another correspondence, he said: “I won’t be there…the entire system is f****…I never want to hear from you again…leave me the hell alone.”

As such, the panel was concerned that due to his lack of “genuine remorse” Mr Bell might repeat his behaviour if he was to continue teaching without restrictions.

The TRA hearing, which ran from February 10 to 12, found all but one of the allegations against him proven.

Proven allegations included that Mr Bell had engaged in one or more conversations with one girl, identified only as Pupil A, around her mental health while employed by Ebbsfleet Academy in March 2021, in which he shared personal medical information about his own diagnosis.

It also found Mr Bell related his personal medical experiences to what Pupil A had disclosed and had attempted to diagnose their current state.

In addition, it found he had been convicted in Nevada, USA, in August 2014 for the offence of felony possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

In relation to this, in 2015 Mr Bell received a UK police caution for the offence of fraud by misrepresentation for failing to disclose his conviction to a different school when he applied for a teaching role there.

As a result of this, there was an additional allegation that the teacher’s conduct in relation to not disclosing his previous conviction was dishonest and lacked integrity.

However, it was found that an allegation about Mr Bell failing to follow correct protocols in accurately reporting conversations with Pupil A was not proven.

In coming to its decision, the panel said: “The panel decided that the public interest considerations outweighed the interests of Mr Bell.

“The absence of any insight or genuine remorse was a significant factor in forming that opinion. Accordingly, the panel made a recommendation to the Secretary of State that a prohibition order should be imposed with immediate effect.”

During the hearing, three witnesses were called to give evidence relating to the allegations.

Teacher Hugh Sutton was assistant principal and had a pastoral role at Ebbsfleet Academy when he overheard an “odd” conversation between Mr Bell and Pupil A.

He said: “I heard ‘of course you have autism, you have lots of chemical whirring around your head’.”

Addressing the panel, Mr Sutton said: “I thought it was just a slightly odd thing to say, it was almost like that member of staff was diagnosing that student with autism.”

Meanwhile, another witness, teacher Jessica Henk, was walking along the corridor during break-time when she overheard Mr Bell speaking to Pupil A.

She told the panel she heard Mr Bell say: “You must stop living in a fantasy world and live more in the real world’ and that was why she [Pupil A] was finding things difficult and that is why he [Mr Bell] could relate to her, and it went on and on that he does understand she will be living in a fantasy world.”

TRA presenting officer Kiera Riddy invited the panel to find the allegations proven.

In her closing speech, Ms Riddy noted the evidence of “oversharing” and the “blurring of boundaries”.

Speaking of its decision, the TRA said: “The panel decided that it would be proportionate for the prohibition order to be recommended with provision for a review period after five years.

“The panel finds that the conduct of Mr Bell fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession.

“The findings of misconduct are particularly serious as they include potentially diagnosing vulnerable pupils, a conviction related to the possession of drugs, a caution for fraud and dishonesty.

“This means that Simon Bell is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England.”

An Ebbsfleet Academy spokesperson said: “During his employment we identified safeguarding concerns and reported these to the appropriate authorities and following an investigation his employment with the school was terminated.

“Ebbsfleet Academy does not compromise on the safeguarding of students and has robust and effective processes in place to deal with any incidents.”