David Eccott

Introduction

David Eccott is a former licensed, self-employed peripatetic piano teacher who worked for Bromley Youth Music Trust from 1988 until his 2022 convictions for distributing and making indecent images of children ended his classroom work. On 9 July 2026 a Teaching Regulation Agency professional conduct panel found all allegations against him proved — conviction of a relevant offence — and recommended a prohibition order with immediate effect. On 13 July 2026 the Secretary of State’s decision maker, David Oatley, prohibited him from teaching for life with no review period, meaning he shall not be entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach.

Background Information

Eccott, born on 11 October 1950, had been engaged by the Trust as a peripatetic piano teacher since 1988. On 28 January 2021 he was arrested at his home on suspicion of taking, making or distributing indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children. He disclosed this to his employer only on 18 January 2022, when, asked by the Trust to renew his DBS check, he revealed the arrest and was advised he could not teach in schools until his enhanced DBS check was completed; he then said he wished to retire and would not return to teaching in schools. The matter was referred to the Teaching Regulation Agency on 10 March 2023. The panel convened virtually on 9 July 2026, chaired by teacher panellist Mrs Julie Wells with Mr Nigel Shock (lay) and Mrs Sharon Bhogal (teacher); Eccott was not present or represented, and no witnesses were called.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Adjudicated vs. alleged. Eccott was convicted by a criminal court, and his convictions are matters of court record accepted by the TRA panel as conclusive proof; nothing in this section is an unadjudicated allegation. He pleaded guilty in the criminal proceedings, but provided no admission to the panel — his written statement of 12 April 2026 claimed he had pleaded guilty without sufficient legal advice, which the panel did not find amounted to exceptional circumstances.

On 15 September 2022, Eccott pleaded guilty at Central Kent Magistrates’ Court to three offences contrary to the Protection of Children Act 1978 s.1: one count of distributing an indecent photograph — namely two category C images of a child, on 12 January 2020 — and two counts of making indecent photographs, namely nine category B and twelve category C images of a child, on or around 28 January 2021. On 17 October 2022 he was sentenced to a community order with a rehabilitation activity requirement running until 16 April 2024, fined £220 for the distribution offence, ordered to pay a £90 surcharge to fund victim services and £85 in costs to the Crown Prosecution Service, and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for five years from 17 October 2022.

Before the panel was the Central Kent Magistrates’ Court memorandum of conviction, recording the convictions and guilty pleas. Under the national advice on teacher prohibition, a memorandum of conviction is conclusive proof of the conviction and the facts necessarily implied by it unless exceptional circumstances apply. In a written statement dated 12 April 2026, Eccott argued he had pleaded guilty “without sufficient legal advice” and in retrospect should have pleaded not guilty, as he “did not recognise some of the descriptions of the images he had allegedly posted”. The panel found no exceptional circumstances applied and both allegations proved.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The panel found the convictions were for relevant offences and that Eccott had breached the Teachers’ Standards on upholding public trust in the profession. It noted his behaviour had not led to imprisonment, “which was indicative that the offence was at the less serious end of the possible spectrum”, but also that he received a community order “at the higher end of the scale” despite no evidence of previous convictions. He submitted he had enjoyed a lengthy and otherwise unblemished career and produced screenshots of parents’ messages expressing shock at his departure; the panel placed limited weight on both — no evidence substantiated the assertion and there was no indication those parents knew of his convictions.

Decisive was the finding on insight. An email to the TRA dated 17 July 2024 disclosed that Eccott had kept giving piano lessons to 16 children and ignored all contact from the regulator because “he does not feel as though he is a risk”. The panel concluded his evidence demonstrated no insight: his representations focused “primarily on his previous good character, his disagreement with aspects of the process, and the personal impact of the proceedings upon him, rather than accepting responsibility or expressing clear remorse”. The lack of insight and absence of clear remediation indicated an ongoing risk of repetition, and publication of findings alone would “unacceptably compromise the public interest considerations present in this case”. The panel recommended a prohibition order with immediate effect and no review period — the advice lists indecent-image offending as a category where the public interest weighs against offering one. Oatley agreed.

Current Status

The determination is dated 9 July 2026, the Secretary of State’s decision 13 July 2026, and the outcome was published on 29 July 2026. Eccott is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England. Because the order carries no review period, he shall not be entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach — the ban has no route back. It takes effect when served, and he may appeal to the High Court within 28 days of notice.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The prohibition forecloses any return to teaching in England, and the criminal consequences remain on his record: five years on the Sex Offenders Register from 17 October 2022, the community order with rehabilitation activity requirement lasting until 16 April 2024, the £220 fine and the surcharge and costs. The panel also learned he kept teaching piano privately — 16 children — while ignoring the regulator’s contact. The published decision permanently records that a music teacher of more than 30 years’ standing was convicted of distributing and making indecent images of children, and that his claim that his guilty pleas were given without sufficient legal advice did not move either the panel or the Secretary of State.

Sources

• Teaching Regulation Agency, “Teacher misconduct panel outcome: Mr David Eccott,” published 29 July 2026 — source