Joshua Larcombe

Introduction

Joshua Larcombe is a former science teacher at Devonport High School for Girls in Plymouth who was prohibited from teaching indefinitely, with no review period and no right to restoration, after a string of sexual-offence convictions. On 20 August 2021 he was convicted at Plymouth Crown Court of voyeurism, of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity while in a position of trust, and of three counts of making indecent photographs of a child. On 6 October 2022, decision maker John Knowles banned him from the profession on behalf of the Secretary of State, closing a case that began when a pupil’s parent contacted the school in February 2019.

Background Information

Larcombe joined the school as a science teacher on 1 September 2016. On 25 February 2019 the parent of a pupil — referred to as Pupil X — raised concerns about his conduct toward her, and he was arrested three days later in connection with abuse-of-trust offences. The school ran an internal disciplinary investigation, concluding it on 22 May 2019; he resigned on 28 May 2019, and the school referred him to the TRA that July. The criminal case took another two years, ending in the August 2021 convictions and a suspended sentence of imprisonment with ten years on the sex offenders register.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Convicted of sexual offences against a pupil and another count of voyeurism. Larcombe admitted the facts and that the convictions were for relevant offences in a statement of agreed facts signed on 21 April 2022; the case was decided without a hearing at his request.

The court’s findings, recited in the TRA decision, split into two threads. The voyeurism conviction concerned him covertly taking images of a colleague while she was showering, without her knowledge or consent, and retaining them for a significant period. The pupil thread concerned Pupil X, who was 17 when an online communication began around 26 December 2018 and became sexual in nature: the jury convicted him of inciting her to expose her breasts to him, and of exposing his penis to her while retaining images of it, alongside three counts of making indecent photographs of children contrary to the Protection of Children Act 1978. The panel noted that before these events colleagues had already given him advice about his relationships with pupils, which he “had clearly not taken on board”, and it found his actions “calculated and deliberate” rather than committed under any duress. The convictions fell within the guidance’s no-review categories: serious sexual misconduct using a professional position, sexual misconduct involving a child, and indecent-material offences.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The school’s response was prompt by the standards of such cases — parent concern on a Monday, arrest by Thursday, resignation within three months — but the regulator noted the earlier advice from colleagues that went unheeded as an aggravating feature rather than a mitigating one. No evidence of insight or remorse was submitted, and none showing exceptionally high standards or significant contribution to the sector. Knowles adopted the no-review recommendation on the basis that the seriousness of the sexual findings and the absence of insight meant a review period was not sufficient to maintain public confidence.

Current Status

Larcombe 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 has no review period and the decision states he “shall not be entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach” — the permanent tier. His suspended sentence and ten-year sex offenders registration, imposed at the 2021 sentencing, continue on the criminal side.

Impact on Their Career/Life

A three-year teaching career at a girls’ school ended in a lifetime ban that now also covers the voyeurism offence against a colleague, not only the pupil offences — the decision treats both as relevant to his suitability to work in education. The case is a study in escalation that was visible in advance: colleagues had warned him about his relationships with pupils before the criminal conduct began, and the panel’s no-review conclusion leaned on that ignored advice as evidence there was no insight to build a review period around.

Sources

• Teaching Regulation Agency (GOV.UK), “Teacher misconduct panel outcome: Mr Joshua Larcombe,” October 2022 — source