Henry Golding

Introduction

Henry Golding is a former mathematics teacher at Flegg High Ormiston Academy in Great Yarmouth, England, whose career ended in a lifetime ban from the profession. In August 2021 he was convicted of sexually assaulting a pupil at the school and of three counts of making indecent photographs of children, and that November he was sentenced to 17 months in prison. On 6 June 2023, decision maker David Oatley, acting for the Secretary of State for Education, prohibited him from teaching indefinitely, with no review period and no entitlement to apply for restoration.

Background Information

Born on 12 April 1989, Golding held teacher reference number 1684322. He joined Flegg High Ormiston Academy as a mathematics teacher on 3 July 2017, appointed to an NQT Fast Track Development Post. The school had identified a list of disruptive students suitable for an informal mentorship, and Golding acted in a mentorship capacity toward the pupil referred to in the proceedings as Student A — a position of trust. He remained at the school until his suspension on 25 November 2019.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

On 15 November 2019, while acting in that mentorship capacity, Golding sexually assaulted Student A: he ran his fingers up and down the pupil’s left thigh and, on the same date, cupped the pupil’s bottom. The panel later noted that the assault took place against a pupil and occurred in the school environment.

The school learned quickly. On 20 November 2019, Student A made a disclosure, and the same day Golding was referred to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) for investigation following the allegation of inappropriate physical contact with a child. He was suspended five days later. He did not accept responsibility at that stage: the panel later recorded that he initially denied the sexual assault and submitted a considerable volume of representations in the school disciplinary process in which he sought to stall it on procedural grounds. The disciplinary hearing did not take place until 16 December 2020.

Police involvement followed. On 11 December 2019 Golding was arrested, interviewed under caution, and had his electronic devices seized. On 4 September 2020 he voluntarily attended a police station and was interviewed under caution in relation to the alleged possession of indecent images of children on his personal electronic devices.

Examination of his computer revealed the scale of the material: “4 Category A images, including one moving image; 35 Category B images, including three moving images; and 180 Category C images” — 219 indecent images of children in total.

On 4 August 2021, Golding pleaded guilty and was convicted of three counts of making indecent photographs of children and one count of sexual assault. He received a full sentencing discount for the image offences, but only a partial discount on the sexual assault, having originally pleaded not guilty and changed his plea part way through the criminal proceedings. On 16 November 2021 he was sentenced to imprisonment for a total of 17 months, made subject to a sexual harm prevention order for ten years and to notification requirements for ten years, ordered to pay a £156 victim surcharge, and told he may be placed on the barring list by the Disclosure and Barring Service.

The regulatory case concluded without contest. Golding signed a statement of agreed facts on 18 February 2023, admitted the facts of the allegations and his conviction of a relevant offence, and his request that the case be considered without a hearing was granted. A professional conduct panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency convened by virtual means on 5 June 2023.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The panel found both allegations proved and accepted the certificate of conviction as conclusive proof of the convictions and the facts necessarily implied by them. It found Golding in breach of several Teachers’ Standards, including observing proper professional boundaries and safeguarding pupils’ wellbeing, noting that the indecent photographs in his possession indicated his sexual interest in children. It identified strong public interest considerations in safeguarding pupils, maintaining public confidence in the profession, and upholding proper standards of conduct, concluding that his behaviour fundamentally breached the standard expected of a teacher and that he sought to exploit his position of trust. It also found his actions to be “calculated and motivated”.

Before the panel, Golding wrote that he ought to be disqualified and did not wish to provide any mitigation. He stated that he was sorry for his actions, which were “reckless, inconsiderate and harmful”, and accepted that he had behaved irresponsibly, put a student through a deeply unpleasant experience, damaged the trust placed in the teaching profession and abused his position of power. The panel accepted he had a previously good history, but had seen no evidence of remedial steps addressing his offending behaviour. It concluded that prohibition was proportionate and appropriate and recommended a prohibition order with immediate effect, without provision for a review period.

Current Status

Henry Golding is barred from teaching for life. In his decision of 6 June 2023, David Oatley concluded that a prohibition order was proportionate and in the public interest, and that Golding is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England. Given the seriousness of the allegations found proved, he is not entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach. The order takes effect from the date it is served on the teacher, and Golding had a right of appeal to the King’s Bench Division of the High Court within 28 days of notice. His ten-year sexual harm prevention order and notification requirements run from November 2021.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The prohibition order permanently ended Golding’s teaching career: no school or other children’s setting in England may employ him. The panel accepted that he had a previously good history, but he adduced no evidence of his record as a teacher or of remedial steps taken to address his offending behaviour. The panel explained: “This was of concern, particularly when Mr Golding initially sought to deny the sexual assault and stall the School’s disciplinary hearing.” The decision maker gave that lack of full insight considerable weight, judging that it left some risk of repetition and put pupils’ future wellbeing at risk. Golding’s own account acknowledged the harm: a student left teased by friends and wary of trusting people, and a profession whose trust he had abused.

Sources

• Department for Education, “Teacher misconduct panel outcome: Mr Henry Golding” — source