A TEACHER who failed to tell her school she was living with a sex offender who accessed indecent images of children has been found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct and banned from teaching.

Frances North, 46, was found to have failed to notify Feering Primary School, where she began work as a teacher in September 2018, of her association with a convicted sex offender.

A panel convened by the Teaching Regulation Authority heard Ms North resigned shortly after the school received a “whistleblowing” email containing details of her association with the individual.

The offender, whose name was redacted from the report, was convicted of seven counts of making indecent images of children, three of possessing prohibited images of children, two of possessing an extreme pornographic image and two of voyeurism in February 2016.

The panel found, while there was no statutory duty for Ms North to alert the school of her association with the offender, she should have done so.

In a report, Sarah Buxcey, for the Department of Education, said: “The panel considered that, in failing to make such a disclosure, Ms North had deprived the school of the ability to take appropriate action to satisfy itself pupils were appropriately safeguarded.”

Ms North failed to disclose her association with the individual first when she was appointed to the school around August 2018.

There was a second failure to notify the school when the offender moved back into her home in March 2019.

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She agreed she had then failed to tell the school at any point between March and July 2019, when she resigned from her role.

Ms North admitted she had lied to the police, telling them the school were aware of her association with the individual and the fact they were living at her home.

She also acknowledged she should have disclosed the information, conceding her conduct “lacked integrity and was dishonest”.

The panel recommended Ms North should be made the subject of a prohibition order, banning her from teaching, with a review period of two years.

Accepting this recommendation, Ms Buxcey said she had placed “considerable weight”

on the panel’s understanding Ms North had been a safeguarding lead in a previous role, and so was aware of her duties.

She noted the panel had not been presented with evidence of Ms North’s history as a teacher, or any evidence in mitigation.

Under the order, Ms Frances is banned from teaching indefinitely.

Ms Buxcey said: “It is necessary to impose a prohibition order in order to maintain public confidence in the profession.”

The school’s vice-chairman of trustees Mr Lee-Scott said: “Throughout the authority’s investigation, the school has worked closely with all partners and followed the established procedures for such cases.

“We are pleased the ruling highlights the robustness of procedures, systems and practice for dealing with such cases.”