Andrew Peacock

Introduction

Andrew Peacock is a former maths teacher at Hetton Academy in County Durham who was banned from teaching indefinitely in February 2026 after a Teaching Regulation Agency panel found him guilty of unacceptable professional conduct. Late one night in November 2023 he walked naked toward a river on the fringe of a housing estate and was seen by three people out drinking; he went on to accept a simple caution for a section 5 Public Order Act 1986 offence. The panel also found he had kept his arrest from his school for over a week, dishonestly and without integrity. He did not attend the hearing.

Background Information

Peacock joined the school in April 2013 as a mathematics teacher and became deputy department head in mathematics on 1 September 2022. He also had a second job as a delivery driver, declared to the school under its code of conduct. He resigned on 19 May 2024, days after accepting the police caution. A disciplinary hearing went ahead in his absence on 28 June 2024, and on 3 October 2024 he was referred to the Teaching Regulation Agency. The professional conduct panel convened by video on 5 and 6 February 2026; Peacock was neither present nor represented.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Cautioned, contested-in-part case. Peacock accepted a police caution, fully admitting a section 5 Public Order Act 1986 offence, and at the TRA he admitted the facts of all four allegations while disputing that they amounted to misconduct. The dishonesty finding on the non-disclosure was the panel’s own; no sexual motivation was ever alleged.

On or around 11 November 2023, between 11:30pm and midnight, Peacock parked near a river on the fringe of a residential housing estate, removed his clothing inside the car and walked naked toward the water wearing only trainers. Three witnesses out drinking spotted him, one asking “Is he naked?”. Hearing voices, he ran back, drove off, then drove up and down the street three times before police stopped him; the officer saw a grey hoody over his lap with his bare legs showing. Peacock, a naturist, said he had “figured that there might be a place by the river where I could walk naked away from the public gaze”, was out of the car for thirty seconds to a minute, and denied intending anyone to see him or cause alarm.

On 5 May 2024, after nearly six months on bail, he accepted a simple caution; the out-of-court disposal acceptance form described the offence as “walking naked in a public street, where he has been sighted by three witnesses”, and Peacock signed it fully admitting the offence. He said his solicitor advised that contesting the case could attract media coverage, and that he accepted the caution partly to protect the reputation of the school and its trust. Given the signed admission, the panel placed significant weight on the form.

The school learned of the arrest not from Peacock but from the Local Authority Designated Officer, who telephoned Witness A, the designated safeguarding lead, on 21 November 2023. He had seen her repeatedly in the meantime at a school with an open-door policy. Asked whether he had anything to tell her, he said “no”; told of the LADO call, he confirmed the arrest but said he did not see it as an issue, as he was a naturist and his actions were not illegal. The school’s code required immediate disclosure of “any information which may affect or is likely to affect the suitability of the employee to undertake their job role or work with students”. He cited the police telling him he would be informed first, his not having been charged, and being “fearful and anxious”, but the panel was unpersuaded. It found he knew he should disclose and did not do so “in the hope that the matter would be resolved without the School becoming aware of it”, that an ordinary honest person would consider this dishonest, and that the conduct lacked integrity.

All four allegations were found proved, amounting to unacceptable professional conduct and conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute, in breach of the Teachers’ Standards and statutory safeguarding duties.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The criminal side ended with the caution rather than a conviction: arrested on 11 November 2023, Peacock spent nearly six months on bail before accepting the simple caution on 5 May 2024. He had already resigned on 19 May 2024, and the disciplinary hearing proceeded without him that June. The panel noted his remorse, “Upon reflection, I deeply regret any unintended distress caused by my actions”, and that he had refrained from naturist activities since. But it judged his insight limited: he maintained his actions were lawful despite the admitted caution, and the panel was concerned he had accepted it to avoid publicity, then skipped the hearing he had himself requested, sparing his insight and remorse from being tested. It recommended prohibition with a two-year review.

Current Status

Peacock is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England. The decision was made by Marc Cavey on behalf of the Secretary of State on 16 February 2026, agreeing the panel’s two-year review period, partly so he has time to develop full insight. He may apply for the order to be set aside, but not until 16 February 2028 at the earliest; a successful application is not automatic. The order takes effect from service, with a right of appeal to the High Court within 28 days. The outcome was published on 13 March 2026.

Impact on Their Career/Life

An eleven-year career at a single school ended with the 2024 resignation, and the prohibition order closes off classroom work across England. Any return requires applying after 16 February 2028 and persuading a fresh panel to set the order aside, the decision maker tying this to his developing full insight into his behaviour and its impacts. He has told regulators he has given up naturism entirely and accepts he made an error of judgment, but the panel found he still failed to appreciate that he had practised it in his own local area, leaving it concerned about the risk of repetition.

Sources

• Teaching Regulation Agency, “Teacher misconduct panel outcome: Mr Andrew Peacock,” published 13 March 2026 — source