Maths teacher banned over attempts to access porn

A former head of maths at a private girls' school has been banned from teaching after a panel found he repeatedly tried to access online pornography on school grounds.

Andrew Moore attempted to view the sites while connected to the wi-fi network at Sherborne Girls School in Dorset, including once while on duty in a boarding house, a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel found.

Moore denied his actions were intentional, but the panel rejected his explanations and recommended a prohibition order.

A spokesperson for Sherborne Girls said the school's safeguarding systems "performed exactly as intended," adding that it had acted swiftly once the activity was detected and no pupils were at risk.

Moore, who had worked at the school for 18 years, was made head of the maths department in September 2024.

The school's IT system flagged multiple attempts to access blocked pornographic websites on 8 and 17 October that year, the panel heard.

On the second occasion, one attempt was made at 19:57 while Dr Moore was on duty in one of the girls' boarding houses, the panel found.

The sites were blocked by the school's IT system and were never actually accessed.

He initially admitted the conduct to a senior colleague, sending an email the next day saying he was "devastated" and "ashamed".

But at later disciplinary meetings, he gave differing accounts, suggesting a phishing link, malware, or his phone unlocking itself were responsible.

The school's mobile network provider and its internet filtering company both confirmed it was not possible for a phone to unlock itself and access specific websites unprompted.

Moore was dismissed in November 2024.

The panel found he had shown "limited" remorse and a lack of insight into his conduct.

A prohibition order was imposed by the Department for Education, with Moore able to apply for it to be lifted no earlier than June 2028.