Explicit pornography was found on head teacher's work phone

Picture courtesy of MEN Media

A former head teacher at an Oldham school has been told she’ll never be allowed to teach again after being banned for life for a string of offences including explicit pornography being found on her work issue iPhone and doctoring SATS results.

Forty-two-year old Catherine Jones, who was appointed the headteacher at Stoneleigh Academy in Derker in September 2012, would go on to commit a catalogue of offences before two members of staff blew the whistle on her in March 2016.

Ms Jones, who failed to appear before a panel at the Teaching Regulation Agency in Coventry, asked an IT worker to back up her photographs from her work issue iPhone, in June 2015, to her laptop, with the worker reporting afterward seeing images of ‘an explicit sexual nature’ on there.

The panel ruled “In view of the evidence of explicit sexual activity, the panel was satisfied that the images were pornographic.”

In addition to the images found on the phone, Ms Jones was also found to have doctors SATS results from her pupils, failed to ensure the school had a safeguarding policy and failed to adequately risk assess school trips.

The panel also found she ‘removed’ £350 from a PTA fund to pay her mortgage and used the school’s credit card to fund trips to the supermarket and the school’s account to buy herself computer equipment from PC World.

She would also allow her friends or family to attend school trips including to Manchester United’s Old Trafford ground and a ‘Tropical World’ children’s attraction, both of which were fully funded by the school.

The panel said Ms Jones' conduct ‘fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession’

“Accordingly, the panel is satisfied that Ms Jones is guilty of unacceptable professional conduct,” a statement read.

“The panel has taken into account how the teaching profession is viewed by others and considered the influence that teachers may have on pupils, parents and others in the community.”

In addition to the offences above, the panel also heard how Ms Jones made ‘inappropriate and derogatory comments’ about other members of staff in text messages and even shared personal information about them.

It also found the she had posted ‘jokes in poor taste and vulgar comments to the expression of strong personal and political opinions’ on social media, which were shared by parents and the public.

Banning her for life, the panel said that she would no longer be able to teach at any school, sixth form college, youth accommodation or children’s home in England.

Stoneleigh Academy in Derker has since changed its to Willowpark Primary Academy and is now owned by the Oldham College Community Trust.