Mr Stuart Davies

Introduction

Stuart Davies was a peripatetic music teacher at Beachborough School in Northamptonshire, where he had worked from September 2014 until his suspension in July 2021. On 30 March 2023 he was convicted at Northampton Crown Court of six offences under the Protection of Children Act 1978: three of taking and three of making indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children. In March 2024 the Secretary of State banned him from teaching for life, with no review period and no entitlement ever to apply for restoration. Davies did not engage with the regulatory proceedings: the allegations were not admitted, and he was neither present nor represented at the hearing that ended his career.

Background Information

Davies was employed by Beachborough School as a Peripatetic Musician on 1 September 2014. On 8 July 2021 he was arrested by Northamptonshire Police following an intelligence report indicating that photographs of children may have been uploaded to the online platform Discord by him. The police notified the school of the arrest on 9 July 2021, and Beachborough suspended him on 14 July 2021. The school referred the matter to the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) on 30 March 2022; a year later, on 30 March 2023, Davies was convicted at Northampton Crown Court.

A professional conduct panel of the TRA convened on 29 February 2024, by virtual hearing. The TRA applied to proceed in his absence; the panel, satisfied that all reasonable steps had been taken to communicate the hearing to Davies and that an email from him showed he was “wholly aware” of the proceedings, concluded that he had voluntarily waived his right to attend and that the public interest outweighed any potential prejudice. No witnesses were called.

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. On 30 March 2023 Davies was convicted at Northampton Crown Court of three offences of taking indecent photographs of a child or pseudo-photographs of children between 15 June and 9 July 2021, contrary to section 1 of the Protection of Children Act 1978, and three offences of making an indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph of children between 1 January 2016 and 9 July 2021, contrary to section 1(a) of that Act. The offending resulted in a sentence of imprisonment, suspended. Davies gave no response to the notice of proceedings, so the allegations were not admitted; he did not attend the hearing and was not represented.

The TRA presented the panel with a signed Certificate of Conviction from the Crown Court at Northampton confirming conviction on three counts of taking an indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph of a child and three counts of making one. The certificate recorded the conviction date as 7 February 2023, while the allegation before the panel cited 30 March 2023; accepting legal advice, the panel took the certificate as conclusive evidence of the offences as alleged and found the allegation proved.

The panel found breaches of the Teachers’ Standards, including upholding public trust in the profession, observing proper boundaries with pupils, safeguarding pupils’ wellbeing and acting within statutory professional duties. It described the case as one concerning offences involving voyeurism, including upskirting, alongside the taking and making of indecent images of children, and noted that the behaviour “ultimately led to a sentence of imprisonment, (albeit that it was suspended), which was indicative of the seriousness of the offences committed”. It added that the behaviour could affect public confidence in the teaching profession.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The panel identified strong public interest considerations: the safeguarding and wellbeing of pupils, the protection of other members of the public, the maintenance of public confidence in the profession, and declaring and upholding proper standards of conduct. Its findings, it said, involved “multiple offences relating to both the making and taking of indecent images of children as young as 9”, and: “There was a strong public interest consideration in respect of the safeguarding and wellbeing of pupils, given the serious findings of seriously inappropriate and sexual behaviour towards children.”

Mitigation was thin. There was no evidence that Davies’s actions were not deliberate, and none that he acted under duress; the panel found his actions “calculated and motivated”. It accepted that he was “previously of good character in relation to criminal or regulatory proceedings”, but said his lack of engagement left it impeded from considering any mitigating circumstances and “unable to speculate or comment in relation to his proficiency as an educator”. It recommended a prohibition order with immediate effect and no review period, holding that the indecent images offences, “particularly as they engage children, are significant factors in favour of not offering a review”.

Decision maker Sarah Buxcey, deciding on behalf of the Secretary of State on 4 March 2024, found that Davies’s conduct fell “significantly short of the standards expected of the profession”, that it involved breaches of the responsibilities and duties set out in the statutory guidance Keeping children safe in education, and that the findings were “particularly serious as they include multiple offences relating to both the making and taking of indecent images of children”. “I have been unable to consider the level of insight or remorse shown,” she wrote, “as there was no evidence or comment from the panel, although I understand Mr Davies did not engage with the proceedings.” She concluded that a prohibition order was proportionate and in the public interest. No separate mainstream press coverage of the case has been located; the published decision is the public record.

Current Status

Davies “is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England”. Because the order makes no provision for a review period, and in view of the seriousness of the allegations found proved against him, he “shall not be entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach” — the ban is lifelong, with no route back. The order takes effect from the date it is served on him, and he has a right of appeal to the High Court within 28 days of notice.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The prohibition ended Davies’s career as a peripatetic music teacher outright. The panel found that the seriousness of the offending behaviour was directly relevant to his ongoing suitability to teach, but declined to comment on his proficiency as an educator because his non-engagement left it unable to weigh any mitigation. The Secretary of State’s decision likewise records an absence of evidence of remorse or insight. The public record is the conviction, the findings, and a lifelong ban he cannot apply to have reviewed.

Sources

• Teaching Regulation Agency, “Teacher misconduct panel outcome: Mr Stuart Davies” — source