Mr Jeremy Cotton

Introduction

Mr Jeremy Cotton was a Teacher of Computing at Perins School in Alresford, Hampshire, joining the school in 2014 and later promoted to Team Leader of the subject. Between 2018 and 2020, a professional conduct panel found, he built an escalating pattern of inappropriate contact with a pupil, Pupil A — Instagram messages, then a self-deleting chat service and coded school emails, and finally serious sexual misconduct. In February 2025 a Teaching Regulation Agency panel found the core allegations proved, including that he digitally penetrated the pupil at a school open evening. The Secretary of State’s decision maker banned him from teaching for life, with no review period and no right to apply for restoration.

Background Information

Cotton’s role at Perins School was his second teaching post. The school is a mixed comprehensive secondary in Alresford with around 1,170 pupils on the roll. He taught Pupil A Computer Science throughout her time there, from Years 7 to 11 and as a GCSE option, and emailed her more frequently than any other teacher, mixing school matters with personal questions. He also had significant access to the school’s IT systems, had previously worked in IT services, and was partly responsible for drafting many of the school’s IT policies.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

The panel found that in or around May 2018 Cotton contacted Pupil A on Instagram after asking whether she used social media. Her mother found the messages, took screenshots and reported them to the school’s Head of Safeguarding. Cotton received a management advisory letter dated 11 May 2018, and the panel later found he had been warned by the school’s Deputy Headteacher not to inappropriately message Pupil A again. Rather than stopping, the panel found, the contact simply went underground.

From around October 2019 to February 2020, the panel found, Cotton taught Pupil A to use ChatCrypt, a messaging service whose messages are automatically deleted, giving her a code and password. The panel found he sent her messages including “It’s safer on here than email, we have been good only chatting on here”, “You look pretty without makeup on” and “Your skirt looks short under the desk with your legs crossed”, said he had been “eyeing you up” and wondering if his shirt would fit her, and replied “Can’t resist” when the conversation turned to stopping. It also found he described sexual activities he wanted to engage in with her, and asked her to roll her skirt up and wear a black bra, though it found one allegation about an explicit image not proved. School emails carried coded signals — “Exam papers are online now” meant move to ChatCrypt — and the panel found Cotton taught her to “double delete” their messages so they could not be recovered from the server. Between 7 January and 5 February 2020 he emailed Pupil A 109 times, against 30 to his closest colleague; he accepted they had “emailed a lot” and that it was “more than there should have been”. The panel also found he slipped notes into her revision book, and in February 2020 ran his hand down her back in class, which another pupil’s account corroborated.

The most serious finding concerned an open evening in around 2019 to 2020. The panel found that Cotton took Pupil A into his office alone, touched her thighs, moved her clothing aside and digitally penetrated her. She said she froze and told no one at the time, fearing she would not be believed. She disclosed it in May 2022 after becoming distressed during a driving lesson; Hampshire Police investigated, interviewing both of them, but no criminal charges resulted. Satisfied that her account was clear, consistent and fitted the wider pattern of his behaviour, the panel found this allegation proved.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The TRA hearing sat virtually from 24 to 28 February 2025. Cotton did not attend and was not represented, having answered ’no’ to the question on whether he intended to be present at the hearing. In his written statement he set out that the case was “over 5 years ago”, that he had “a new career away from education”, that the TRA would “always side with the student” and “I cannot see the point!”. The panel refused his application for the hearing to be held in private, finding no exceptional circumstances.

The panel found the proved conduct amounted to unacceptable professional conduct and conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute. It said the breaches were “not trivial breaches of the standards” but were “at the most serious end”, found his concealment of the messages dishonest, and found his behaviour was sexually motivated. It recommended a prohibition order with immediate effect and no review period. On 7 March 2025 the decision maker, Marc Cavey, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State, imposed the order.

Current Status

Cotton is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England. Because of the seriousness of the allegations found proved against him, the decision maker decided that Cotton shall not be entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach. The order takes effect from the date on which it is served on him. The panel’s determination is dated 28 February 2025, and the decision on behalf of the Secretary of State is dated 7 March 2025. Cotton has a right of appeal to the King’s Bench Division of the High Court within 28 days from the date he is given notice of the order.

Impact on Their Career/Life

Cotton resigned from Perins School on 14 July 2020, before the school’s own investigation was complete, and the school referred him to the TRA that August. By the time of the hearing he described himself as having a new career away from education; the prohibition order ends any possibility of returning to teaching in England. The panel found no evidence that he had demonstrated exceptionally high standards or contributed significantly to the education sector, and judged the risk of repetition of his misconduct to be unacceptably high.

Sources

• Teaching Regulation Agency, “Teacher misconduct panel outcome: Mr Jeremy Cotton” — source