Arran Johnson

Introduction

Arran Johnson was a teacher at The Victory Academy in Kent until his dismissal in October 2022, and in February 2026 he was banned from teaching indefinitely. A professional conduct panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) found proved that he had been convicted of making indecent photographs of children, possessing prohibited images of children and possessing extreme pornographic images. Johnson admitted every allegation at every stage, including through guilty pleas in the criminal courts, and the decision maker acting for the Secretary of State concluded that an indefinite prohibition, with no entitlement ever to apply for restoration, was proportionate and in the public interest.

Background Information

According to the TRA decision, Johnson joined Victory Academy as a teacher on 1 September 2020 and remained employed there until his dismissal on 26 October 2022. The panel that judged him — chaired by lay panellist Ms Sue Davis, with teacher panellist Mrs Erin Sudds and lay panellist Mrs Shabana Robertson — sat virtually and considered the case without a hearing, at Johnson’s own request. It worked from a signed statement of agreed facts, his plea in mitigation and correspondence from his probation officer, which included a request for privacy.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Adjudicated vs. alleged. The findings below are regulatory findings made on the balance of probabilities by a professional conduct panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA). In this case they rest on court-record facts: Johnson admitted all three allegations in a statement of agreed facts signed on 10 September 2025, and the panel treated the accompanying certificates of conviction as conclusive proof of the convictions themselves. Nothing was contested and no particular was left unproved; the convictions are matters of court record, evidenced by certificate of conviction.

The timeline began on 4 August 2022, when Johnson was interviewed by the police and disclosed during that interview that he had been in possession of indecent images of children. Officers seized his phone, his laptop and his school laptop. On 12 August 2022 he met the school’s principal and again disclosed that he had been in possession of indecent images of children on his phone and laptop. His employment was terminated on 26 October 2022, and the matter was referred to the TRA on 19 December 2022.

On 18 June 2024 he was convicted at North Kent Magistrates’ Court of three counts of making an indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph of a child, contrary to section 1(a) of the Protection of Children Act 1978; of possessing prohibited images of children, contrary to section 62(1) of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009; and of possessing extreme pornographic images portraying intercourse or oral sex with a dead or alive animal, contrary to section 63(1)(7)(d) of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008. The decision records that he was committed for sentence at Maidstone Crown Court on 1 January 2027 and placed on unconditional bail, and that he was required to register with the police in accordance with the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

Before the regulator, Johnson admitted the allegations in his response to the notice of referral, signed on 27 March 2025, and in his statement of agreed facts, admitting also that those facts amounted to a conviction of a relevant offence. The panel, convening on 18 February 2026, found all three allegations proved, relying on certificates of conviction from Medway Magistrates’ Court. It found breaches of the Teachers’ Standards — including treating pupils with dignity, safeguarding pupils’ wellbeing and upholding the rule of law — and of the statutory guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education. Investigation meeting notes dated 6 October 2022 recorded Johnson saying that his behaviour was a significant breach of various policies because of “the current age range” that he taught. The same notes record that he said he had been provided links which led to images of child pornography, and that he did not find himself sexually attracted to the subjects of the images.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The panel identified strong public interest considerations spanning the safeguarding and wellbeing of pupils, the protection of the public, public confidence in the profession and proper standards of conduct, stating: “There was a strong public interest consideration in respect of the safeguarding and wellbeing of pupils, given the serious findings of making and possessing inappropriate images of children.” It rejected ending the case with publication of the findings alone, saying that would “unacceptably compromise the public interest considerations present in this case”. It found no evidence his actions were not deliberate — he “had made indecent images and repeatedly and intentionally accessed images for which he had been convicted”. Johnson had admitted the offences on several occasions and entered guilty pleas; the panel noted he “had demonstrated a level of insight and remorse” and “had engaged with a number of rehabilitation and health services”, but held the offences were so serious that no review period could be justified.

Current Status

Johnson is prohibited from teaching indefinitely. In a decision dated 20 February 2026, decision maker David Oatley, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State, imposed a prohibition order with no review period: Johnson cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England, and he is not entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach. His insight, remorse and engagement with rehabilitation and health services carried some weight, but could not offset findings the decision maker described as particularly serious. The order takes effect from the date it is served on him, with a right of appeal to the High Court within 28 days of notice.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The findings ended a teaching career begun in September 2020: dismissed by his school in October 2022 and barred from the profession indefinitely in February 2026, with no route back. The criminal consequences continue separately, with sentencing at Maidstone Crown Court still to come as recorded in the decision, alongside registration under the Sexual Offences Act 2003. The Secretary of State gave less weight to Johnson’s contribution to the profession given the deliberate nature of his conduct, and although his engagement with rehabilitation and health services was acknowledged, it could not offset findings the decision maker described as particularly serious.

Sources

• Teaching Regulation Agency, “Teacher misconduct panel outcome: Arran Johnson,” published 9 March 2026 — source