Teacher who shared details of drunken hen night with pupils banned from classroom
A teacher who told students about her private life, including her relationships and getting drunk on a stag night, was attacked by a teacher’s watchman.
A professional panel revealed Natasha Blackmore, head of design and technology at the Somerset school, spoke to youngsters about their romantic partners and breakups.
The 36-year-old man also showed them text messages in which he described another person in derogatory terms and told them he described a social event where he had been drinking, vaping and smoking.
The Teaching Regulatory Authority’s decision found that up to five students at Westfield Academy would go to see Mrs Blackmore during breaks and lunchtimes, with one of them saying the teacher saw them as friends, not students.
The panel found that he disclosed “significant inappropriate details” about his personal life to students; spent excessive time with students; He messaged students in social media group chats and arranged a meeting with students during school holidays.
The teacher has accepted unacceptable professional conduct and/or conduct that could bring the profession into disrepute.
During an investigation by the school, which accepts children aged between 11 and 16, a girl referred to as Pupil A said Ms Blackmore had invited the group to meet her new dog during the holidays.
He also said the teacher told them he went to a hen party and was “really drunk, vaping and smoking.”
Student A stated that he thought, “Everything was fine in the beginning, but then it turned into ‘some kind of weird relationship’ where they told each other things, ‘everything’.”
Another student said that four other students sat with him in Ms. Blackmore’s room every recess and lunch and talked about “how their day was, their behavior, their home life, their friends, their arguments. Normal.”
He said Ms. Blackmore was more of a friend, “We have such a bond with her. She knows so much about us, we’re always there.”
Ms Blackmore said the children were very supportive when she lost her dog.
“If it wasn’t for those students and the support they showed me after my loss [REDACTED]I don’t think I can go back to work properly because of how I feel.
Ms Blackmore admitted joining a group chat with students on Instagram and meeting them at Yeovil Leisure Center and bringing her dog. The panel found the meeting breached the staff code of conduct.
One parent said she never had to worry about anything being hidden and that Miss Blackmore was a “really good teacher”.
But the board ruled that Ms Blackmore “failed to provide a safe environment in which children could learn, given her reliance on students for her own emotional support”.
He stated that he “fully knew where he made a mistake” and the support he should have asked for. He said he is now in a much better position and fully understands how unprofessional his actions were.
The panel decided that the ban could be reviewed after two years “given the insight and remorse shown by Ms Blackmore”.
