Donal Donnelly
Introduction
Donal Donnelly was a music teacher employed to provide teaching services at Benton Park School from 17 January 2018 until his dismissal on 3 July 2023. On 24 November 2023 he was convicted of three counts of making an indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph of children, offences dated 22 November 2020 under the Protection of Children Act 1978. A professional conduct panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency considered the case on 15 August 2025 and found the allegation proven. On 20 August 2025, decision maker David Oatley, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for Education, prohibited him from teaching indefinitely, with no review period and no entitlement to apply for restoration.
Background Information
The case reached the Teaching Regulation Agency as a referral following the criminal proceedings, and was set out in a notice of meeting dated 22 April 2025. After considering the public interest and the interests of justice, the TRA agreed to a request from Donnelly that the allegation be dealt with without a hearing. He provided a signed statement of agreed facts, dated 1 November 2024, in which he admitted the allegation and admitted that the offences were relevant offences. The panel, chaired by lay panellist Peter Whitelock with teacher panellists Anila Rai and Christine Cunniffe, met virtually on 15 August 2025 and considered the case in private, without the presenting officer, Donnelly or any representative attending.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Conviction for making indecent images of children.
The allegation was that Donnelly, whilst employed as a music teacher at Benton Park School, had been convicted of a relevant offence: three counts of making an indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph of children on 22 November 2020, under section 1(a) of the Protection of Children Act 1978. On 24 November 2023 he was convicted at York Crown Court in Harrogate Magistrates’ Court; the printout of the PNC record before the panel listed the counts as “making indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph of children on 22/11/20”. On 19 December 2023 he was sentenced to eight months imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, 180 hours of unpaid work, 20 days of rehabilitation activity, a sexual harm prevention order for five years and placement on the sex offenders register for ten years.
Because of the conviction, the panel accepted the certificate of conviction as conclusive proof of both the conviction and the facts necessarily implied by it, finding no exceptional circumstances. It found the allegation proven and found that Donnelly had been convicted of relevant offences. By reference to Part 2 of the Teachers’ Standards, it found him in breach of the standards covering treating pupils with dignity, building relationships rooted in mutual respect, observing proper boundaries, and having regard for the need to safeguard pupils’ well-being. The panel noted that his behaviour “ultimately led to a sentence of imprisonment, (albeit that it was suspended), which was indicative of the seriousness of the offences committed”, and that “The panel found these offences to be very serious.” It also considered that the behaviour involved in committing the offence “could have had an impact on the safety and security of pupils and potentially other members of the public”, and that his behaviour in committing the offences “would affect public confidence in the teaching profession including in a circumstance where Mr Donnelly were allowed to continue teaching”.
In his response to the TRA’s investigation, Donnelly stated: “I hugely regret what I have done. I committed the offences at a very difficult time in my life and I am full of remorse at what I did. I am ensuring that I do all the rehabilitation activities necessary & serve my conviction in the most positive way I can”. The panel noted the statement but “found very limited evidence of insight or remorse on the part of Mr Donnelly”. It believed his actions were deliberate, found no evidence that he was acting under extreme duress, found “no material evidence of any mitigating circumstances”, and had “no evidence that the incident was out of character”. The panel found that the seriousness of the offending behaviour was clearly relevant to his ongoing suitability to teach, and that a finding of conviction of relevant offences was necessary to maintain public confidence in the teaching profession.
Public Reaction and Consequences
The decision records no press coverage; these are regulatory records rather than reports of public debate. The consequences for Donnelly were nonetheless substantial. He had already been dismissed by Benton Park School on 3 July 2023. The criminal court imposed a suspended custodial sentence, unpaid work, rehabilitation activity, a five-year sexual harm prevention order and ten years on the sex offenders register. The panel recommended that a prohibition order be imposed with immediate effect, deciding that the public interest considerations outweighed Donnelly’s interests and that recommending only publication of the adverse findings “would unacceptably compromise the public interest considerations present in this case”. It also recommended that no provision be made for a review period. David Oatley, the decision maker, accepted the recommendation and imposed the prohibition order on behalf of the Secretary of State.
Current Status
Donal Donnelly is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England. The order was made without a review period, so there is no point at which he may ask for the prohibition to be reconsidered; the decision maker also decided that he shall not be entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach. The order takes effect from the date it is served on him. As with any prohibition decision, he has a right of appeal to the High Court within 28 days from the date he is given notice of the order.
Impact on Their Career/Life
The prohibition order ended Donnelly’s teaching career permanently. Having taught music at Benton Park School for over five years until his dismissal, he may no longer work as a teacher in England, and because the order carries no review period and no right to apply for restoration, there is no route back to the profession. The decision maker placed considerable weight on the seriousness of the offences involving indecent images of children and on the limited evidence of insight and remorse, concluding that the published findings alone would not satisfy the public interest.