Teacher's ban after sex offender fiancé jailed

A teacher who failed to tell his school that his fiancé had been jailed for sex offences against boys has been banned from the profession.

Thomas Ridgway, 31, was a photography teacher at Heathfield School, a private girls' school in Ascot, Berkshire, when his partner was imprisoned in December 2023.

A panel found Ridgway was aware of the offences but that the school was only informed about them when a member of the public sent the information to it by email later that month.

The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) said Ridgway was "very badly affected" by his partner's imprisonment but was obliged to inform the school about it.

It found that he had shown "a disregard for the duties and responsibilities" of his job in not doing so. Ridgway was not and has not been accused of any crime himself.

The TRA said he will be banned from teaching for an initial two years, after which the order can be reviewed.

Ridgway started at the school as a photography technician in September 2019 and became a teacher there in September 2023.

He was suspended by the school in January 2024 and he resigned in February 2024.