Mr Simon Wood

Introduction

Mr Simon Wood was a Teacher of History and Subject Manager for Humanities at Wetherby High School in Wetherby, where he worked from 1 October 2020 until his resignation on 17 January 2023. On 16 November 2022, he was arrested for being in possession of indecent images of children. In April 2024 he pleaded guilty to two counts of making indecent images of a child, and he was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on 3 June 2024. In March 2025 a professional conduct panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency found the allegations against him proved, and the Secretary of State’s decision maker prohibited him from teaching indefinitely, with no review period and no entitlement to apply for restoration.

Background Information

Wood joined Wetherby High School on 1 October 2020 as a Teacher of History and Subject Manager for Humanities and remained there until resigning on 17 January 2023. His case was considered by a three-member professional conduct panel chaired by Mrs Bernie Whittle, sitting with Mr Terry Hyde, a former teacher panellist, and Ms Janette McCormick, a lay panellist; the legal adviser was Ms Rachel Phillips of Blake Morgan LLP. The panel convened virtually on 27 March 2025. At Wood’s own request, the TRA agreed that the allegations be considered without a hearing: he provided a signed statement of agreed facts, dated 3 March 2025, and admitted conviction of a relevant offence.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

The allegations, set out in a notice of proceedings dated 21 March 2025, were that Wood had been convicted of a relevant offence: on 11 April 2024, he was convicted at Kirklees Magistrates Court of making an indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph of children on 10 June 2022, and of making an indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph of children on 16 November 2022, each contrary to section 1(a) of the Protection of Children Act 1978. The second of those dates was the same day on which he was arrested for being in possession of indecent images of children.

Wood appeared at Kirklees Magistrates’ Court on 11 April 2024, when he pleaded guilty to two counts of making indecent images of a child. A certificate of conviction from Leeds Crown Court recorded the offences as making indecent photographs of a child (1 category A image); and making indecent photographs of a child (17 category C images). He was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on 3 June 2024, receiving an 18-month community order with rehabilitation activity requirements, together with forfeiture of seized devices, a victim surcharge of £114 and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years. The panel accepted the certificate of conviction as conclusive proof and, in light of Wood’s admission, found both particulars proved.

The panel found that the conduct involved breaches of the Teachers’ Standards, including having regard for the need to safeguard pupils’ well-being and acting within the statutory frameworks which set out professional duties and responsibilities. Although the behaviour took place outside the education setting, the panel determined that it was clearly relevant to his teaching role, finding that his conduct ran counter to what should be at the very core of the practice of a teacher. It also considered that the two offences, falling several months apart, signified a pattern in behaviour rather than a momentary lapse of judgement.

In mitigation, the panel noted that Wood made full admissions to the allegation and pleaded guilty to the offences at an early stage, for which he was given credit in sentencing; the sentencing hearing had also heard that he had been going through a difficult time, although the judge did not consider that his personal circumstances excused his conduct. Weighed against this, the panel found that Mr Wood’s actions were pre-meditated, repeated and deliberate. It further held that Mr Wood’s actions amounted to a clear breach of the Teachers’ Standards and raised serious public and child protection concerns. Wood had been in a position of trust and responsibility, and had fallen significantly short of the standards expected of him in that regard.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The panel recommended that a prohibition order be imposed with immediate effect. It found the public interest considerations of safeguarding pupils, maintaining confidence in the profession and upholding proper standards of conduct outweighed Wood’s interests, concluding that Mr Wood’s actions were fundamentally incompatible with his being a teacher. This was conduct of a serious nature. While no doubt had been cast upon his abilities as an educator, the panel found there was not a strong public interest consideration in retaining him in the profession. On 28 March 2025 David Oatley, the decision maker acting on behalf of the Secretary of State, accepted the recommendation and found a prohibition order to be proportionate and in the public interest.

Current Status

Mr Simon Wood is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England. He is not entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach, and the order takes effect from the date on which it is served on him, with a right of appeal to the High Court within 28 days of notice. No review period was set: the panel observed that one of the indecent images was within the most serious category, and that the panel could not be satisfied that the conduct would not be repeated. His 18-month community order runs until December 2025, and he remains subject to the 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order imposed at sentence.

Impact on Their Career/Life

Wood’s resignation in January 2023 ended his time at Wetherby High School; the prohibition order makes that parting permanent. The ban applies for life with no provision for review, closing any route back to teaching in England and barring him from work in schools, sixth form colleges, relevant youth accommodation and children’s homes. It sits alongside the criminal sentence imposed in June 2024, including the community order, rehabilitation activity requirements and a decade under a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, which together mark the end of a teaching career that had begun at the school only in October 2020.

Sources

• Teaching Regulation Agency, “Teacher misconduct panel outcome: Mr Simon Wood” — source