Paul Richards

Introduction

Paul Richards was a design and technology teacher at Finton House School in London who had spent his entire 25-year teaching career there when a pupil said he rubbed her thigh under a desk. He denied it, calling the pupil a liar, but the panel found her an honest and credible witness and found the touching proved and sexually motivated. On 13 November 2023, after a public hearing spanning two windows in mid and late 2023, the Secretary of State prohibited him from teaching indefinitely, with no review period and no entitlement to apply for restoration.

Background Information

Richards was employed at Finton House School from 1996 and became a design and technology teacher around 2004. When the pupil made her accusation he had 25 years’ experience, all of it at the school, and described a relaxed but professional style with consistently high conduct throughout his career. On 14 December 2020 a pupil reported an incident alleged to have happened on 10 December 2020; the school referred it to the Local Authority Designated Officer the next day, suspended him pending investigation in January 2021, and held a disciplinary hearing in March 2021, followed by an appeal in May 2021.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Thigh rubbed under the desk. The panel found he rubbed a pupil’s outer thigh in a lesson, conduct it judged of a sexual nature and sexually motivated.

The panel found that on 10 December 2020, during a design and technology lesson, a pen lid fell to the floor and Richards crouched down to look for it. The pupil, Pupil A, said he was under the table for a few seconds and she felt him rubbing his hand up and down her outer thigh; she said the rubbing was “like a stroke, but a bit harder” and happened “more than twice”, and that afterwards he got up and walked off, leaving the pen lid on the floor. The panel found her “an honest and credible witness”, noting her consistency about the core of the incident across the school investigation and the TRA proceedings, and found it would have been physically possible despite the space between stools.

Richards denied the allegation. Asked about the lesson, he said “it was just a lesson. I don’t remember anything.” Told that the pupil had nothing to gain from lying, he said: “She has lied. I don’t know why she’s lied…but she did.” The panel rejected his denial and found allegation 1 proved. It found the conduct was by its very nature sexual, done out of direct view under the table, and inferred it was sexually motivated. It found allegation 4 proved in respect of allegation 1.

Not everything was proved. The panel found not proved allegation 2 — putting his arm around pupils, ruffling their hair and hugging them around 2018-2020 — given the warm, tactile culture at the school and the lack of specific detail. Allegation 3, that the December 2020 conduct came despite advice he received in May 2019 after earlier concerns, also failed: the panel found the proved conduct was different from that covered by the May 2019 advice letter, so the allegation was not factually correct. The panel nonetheless found the proved conduct breached the Teachers’ Standards and safeguarding guidance and amounted to unacceptable professional conduct and conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute.

Public Reaction and Consequences

Richards was suspended on 27 January 2021, faced a disciplinary hearing on 10 March 2021 and an appeal hearing on 7 May 2021 after earlier concerns had led to advice in May 2019. At the TRA, he appeared in person, represented by Ms Maria Aisha of counsel, at a public virtual hearing that ran from 26 to 30 June 2023 and reconvened from 30 October to 1 November 2023; the panel refused his application to adjourn and re-list as an in-person hearing. Many glowing references came from former parents, colleagues and pupils, and the panel accepted he appeared a very good teacher, but concluded “the seriousness of the conduct and the safeguarding of pupils outweighed the good character evidence”. It found he showed no insight or remorse and recommended an immediate prohibition order without a review period.

Current Status

The panel’s determination is dated 1 November 2023. On 13 November 2023, Sarah Buxcey, deciding on behalf of the Secretary of State, prohibited Richards from teaching indefinitely: he cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England. No review period was set, and he is not entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach. The decision maker noted the panel found he “failed to recognise any impact on others, including Pupil A”, who described nightmares and flashbacks and said she could no longer hug her dad or grandad properly. The panel noted Richards said he did not wish to return to teaching, but found no guarantee he would not. The order takes effect from service, with a right of appeal to the High Court within 28 days.

Impact on Their Career/Life

A 25-year career at a single school ended with the lifetime ban. The panel acknowledged no doubt had been cast on his abilities as an educator and that he had contributed significantly to the education sector, and it weighed a one-off, isolated incident — but found it did not automatically negate the risk of repetition, and that his denial left no insight into the effect on Pupil A. Because the order carries no review period, he can never apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach in England, where the finding of sexually motivated conduct involving a pupil bars him from every school, sixth form college, youth accommodation and children’s home.

Sources

• Department for Education, “Teacher misconduct panel outcome: Mr Paul Richards” — source