Former teacher jailed for sex offences banned from profession forever
A disgraced former school teacher who was jailed after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting 14 boys has been banned from teaching indefinitely.
Jack Smith, 31, from Horncastle, was jailed for seven-and-a-half years in January 2025 after a three-week trial at Lincoln Crown Court. He was issued with a sexual harm prevention order and a restraining order.
A professional conduct panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency met on August 14 this year to consider his case and recommended that the Secretary of State ban him from teaching indefinitely without possibility of review.
Smith’s offences included 30 counts of sexual assault and nine counts of sexual communication with a child.
Smith, who started working as a newly qualified humanities teacher in Lincolnshire in September 2019, claimed his behaviour was not sexually motivated. But he admitted the boys described accurately what happened.
Smith provided a signed statement of agreed facts to the panel and admitted his conviction.
The panel found that Mr Smith had breached public trust in the profession by failing to maintain high standards of ethics and behaviour.
The panel felt there was a very strong public interest in safeguarding pupils and protection of other members of the public by imposing the order
On behalf of the education secretary, David Oatley, stated: “In my judgement, the lack of evidence of insight and remorse means that there is some risk of the repetition of this behaviour and this puts at risk the future wellbeing of pupils. I have therefore given this element considerable weight in reaching my decision.”
In its findings the panel felt that Mr Smith “did not demonstrate exceptionally high standards in his personal and professional conduct, and it had no evidence that he had contributed significantly to the education sector. The panel had no evidence before it to demonstrate that the incident was out of character, and saw evidence that Mr Smith was previously subject to a previous disciplinary warning, as
concerns had been raised regarding Mr Smith needing to establish appropriate physical boundaries with pupils.”
Mr Oatley commented: “I have placed considerable weight on the panel’s comments concerning the seriousness of the offending behaviour which involved repeated sexual offences” over a prolonged period.”
He added: “I have also noted the panel’s findings that Mr Smith’s actions were clearly deliberate and there was no evidence to suggest that Mr Smith was acting under extreme duress.
“In my view, it is necessary to impose a prohibition order in order to maintain public confidence in the profession.”
The panel considered that Mr Smith's actions and gross breaches of trust breached "every fundamental tenet of safeguarding and what it meant to be a teacher. It considered that his actions were entirely incompatible with his ever returning to the teaching profession.”
Mr Oatley said: “Allowing for no review period is necessary to maintain public confidence and is proportionate and in the public interest.”
Smith is banned from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England. He shall not be entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach.
Mr Smith has a right of appeal to the High Court within 28 days from the date he is given notice of this order.