A deputy headteacher has received a lifetime teaching ban after a misconduct investigation revealed that she had sent inappropriate messages of a sexual nature to a minor. Laura Hamblin, a 40-year-old English teacher and safeguarding lead, was arrested in March 2024 for suspected communication of a sexual nature with a vulnerable child.
The investigation found that between March 21 and March 29, 2024, Hamblin had exchanged WhatsApp messages and voice notes with the child, which escalated into explicit sexual content. She received a suspended sentence, a sexual harm prevention order, and was placed on the sex offenders’ register for a decade.
Following a recent meeting, the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) has decided to ban her from teaching indefinitely. The panel noted that Hamblin had resigned from her position in September the previous year. The TRA panel highlighted that there were extensive chat records, amounting to 1,500 pages, between Hamblin and the child, which were deemed harmful to the student.
The messages transitioned from casual to flirtatious and eventually evolved into explicit sexual conversations. The TRA panel concluded that Hamblin had seriously violated the expected standards of a teacher and abused her position of trust. Additionally, she had instructed the child to delete the messages as a cover-up strategy.
During the sentencing, the judge remarked on the breach of trust, stating that Hamblin’s actions had a detrimental impact on the student’s education and emotional well-being. The school where she worked emphasized the safety of students as their primary concern, stating that immediate action was taken upon learning of the allegations.
The teaching panel decided that a review period was not appropriate given the circumstances. The school reiterated its commitment to safeguarding its students and staff, highlighting their cooperation with authorities during the investigation.