Mr Steven Millar

Introduction

Mr Steven Millar was a teacher at Cheltenham Bournside School and Sixth Form Centre from 1 September 2016, teaching pupils at Key Stages 4 and 5. In March 2024 a professional conduct panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency found proved that on 25 and 26 January 2021, on the instant messaging platform Chatiw, he sent messages of a sexual nature to a person who had told him she was a 14-year-old girl — in fact an adult undercover operative — including “Make me hard xx” and “Show me a pic xx”; that he made no attempt to confirm the individual was over 18; and that on or around 28 September 2021 he stated he had an interest in ‘age-play’. The panel found the conduct sexually motivated and an attempt to sexually communicate with a child as he had been told the individual was 14. Mr Millar was present but not represented, and denied parts of the allegations. On 13 March 2024, deciding on behalf of the Secretary of State for Education, David Oatley prohibited him from teaching indefinitely with no review period, and decided he shall not be entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach.

Background Information

The panel convened on 7 to 8 March 2024 by way of a virtual hearing in public. Mr Millar was present and was not represented; Witness A gave evidence for the TRA, and Mr Millar also gave oral evidence. He denied the allegations as set out in his response to the notice of proceedings, though over the course of the hearing he admitted individual elements: he admitted allegation 1(a) in its entirety, admitted sending “Show me a pic xx” while denying it was sexual, admitted allegation 2 in its entirety, and — taken to the notes of his investigation interview during his own evidence — admitted allegation 3 in its entirety after initially denying it on grounds of date. He admitted his conduct at paragraph 1(a) was sexually motivated but denied this of paragraph 1(b) or 2. The panel determined all four allegations on the evidence notwithstanding the admissions. On 11 March 2021 he had been arrested on suspicion of sexual communication with a child aged 14; the police concluded their investigation around 20 September 2021 with no further action, and the school ran its own disciplinary process, with his employment ceasing on 1 November 2021.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Allegations and findings. The findings in this section are those of a Teaching Regulation Agency professional conduct panel, which reported proving them on the balance of probabilities. Mr Steven Millar denied the allegations, was present at the hearing without representation, and admitted parts during his evidence; the panel found all four allegations proved, and no count fell.

The messages of 25 January 2021 were before the panel in full. The operative wrote “hey im dais nd 14 fm Aylesbury x”; Mr Millar replied “Cool x”, asked what she looked like, and on receiving a description sent “Make me hard xx” and “Show me a pic xx”, and continued the conversation by text. The conversation ended with the operative asking whether he was really a teacher; his Chatiw profile name, “Teach on free”, identified him as one. He confirmed in oral evidence that “Make me hard xx” referred to having an erection, so the panel found it unquestionably sexual; on “Show me a pic xx” it rejected his explanation that he wanted a facial picture to see what she looked like — the description she had already given, and the message’s proximity to “Make me hard xx”, made that implausible — and found it sexual too. It also found proved that after being told she was 14 he made no attempt to confirm she was over 18: his response to that disclosure was “Cool x”, and his reliance in his police statement on the site’s 18-plus disclaimer did not make the omission innocent, since Chatiw’s own terms warned member information could be inaccurate.

On sexual motivation, the panel concluded that his failure to check the age was not an oversight: he could have clarified the individual’s age but, given his expressed interest in age-play, chose not to and continued messaging. It also found proved the allegation that on or around 28 September 2021, in the school’s investigation interview, he stated an interest in ‘age-play’, explaining it meant people pretending to be different from their actual age while the actual age was always 18 or over. The panel viewed it pertinent that although the operative was in fact over 18, there had been an attempt by Mr Millar to sexually communicate with a child as he had been told the individual was 14 years old.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The panel found breaches of the Teachers’ Standards on treating pupils with dignity, observing proper boundaries and safeguarding pupils’ wellbeing, and breaches of Keeping Children Safe in Education, and found both unacceptable professional conduct and conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute. Although the conduct took place outside the education setting, it was intrinsically linked to his profession: he taught pupils of a similar age to the 14 given by the operative, and his profile identified him as a teacher. Given his annual safeguarding training, the panel found it unrealistic for him not to know children falsify their ages to access sites like Chatiw, and implausible that he was simply “naïve”. Any parent, it held, would be extremely worried that he used language of a sexual nature to someone who had just stated she was 14. Against this, the panel noted his full cooperation with the police and proceedings, his statement that he deeply regrets the matter and apologises for any problems caused, and a level of insight and remorse. It still recommended prohibition with immediate effect and no review period, the conduct having had the potential to result in harm.

Current Status

On 13 March 2024 David Oatley decided on behalf of the Secretary of State that Mr Steven Millar is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England. He placed considerable weight on the seriousness and nature of the conduct — sexual communication with an individual identified as a 14-year-old, no attempt to confirm age, the stated age-play interest and sexually motivated conduct — and on the safeguarding and wellbeing of pupils, giving some weight to the panel’s finding of a level of insight and remorse. In view of the seriousness of the allegations found proved, Mr Millar shall not be entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach. The order takes effect from the date it is served, with a right of appeal to the King’s Bench Division of the High Court within 28 days.

Impact on Their Career/Life

Mr Millar lost his position at Cheltenham Bournside in November 2021, after the police took no further action but the school’s own disciplinary process concluded, and the prohibition now makes any return to teaching in England impossible, with no review period and no route to restoration. The panel accepted evidence of a credible teaching career — he had completed a middle leadership course and been accepted onto a senior leadership course before Covid-19 disruption — but found this did not demonstrate exceptionally high standards of personal and professional conduct or a significant contribution to the education sector.

Sources

• Teaching Regulation Agency, “Teacher misconduct panel outcome: Mr Steven Millar” — source