Former Hemel Hempstead PE teacher banned from profession after sending sexual images to undercover officer posing as teenage boy

This morning (16 October), the Government confirmed that Thomas Calverley, who previously worked at The Adeyfield Academy, cannot teach again.

A representative for the Secretary of State approved a prohibition order with no provision for a review period.

This means that Thomas Calverley, 29, cannot teach ever again in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England. He has 28 days to make an appeal to the High Court, otherwise he is banned from the profession for life.

The report details how Calverley pleaded guilty in 2022 to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to make a child view an image of sexual activity.

He was given a two-year community order and had to attend the Horizon Sex Offender programme. He was also sentenced to 30 days of rehabilitation activity requirement and 120 hours of unpaid work. Calverley was also subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for five years.

His crimes relate to incidents that took place a year earlier when he was using online chatrooms. Calverley was communicating with ‘Ben’, who he believed to be a 14-year-old boy. However, Ben was an undercover police officer posing as a teenager.

Calverley uploaded and sent images graphic sexual images to the officer whilst still believing he was messaging a child. He also asked for explicit videos from ‘Ben’.

Calverley’s criminal behaviour was found to be in breach of the Teachers’ Standards. A panel representing the Teaching Regulation Agency found his actions clashed with high standards of ethics and behaviour expected of teachers both inside and out of school.

The panel stated that teachers are expected to safeguard pupils and should not exploit a child through the pupil’s beliefs.

Calverley provided a signed statement to the panel and confirmed his previous convictions in the document provided to the panel. His hearing took place in private and the former PE teacher declined to attend.

In assessing the level of punishment to dole out to Calverley, the panel noted that it received no evidence regarding his abilities as a teacher. Also, the panel received no details on how Calverley engaged with the Horizon Sex Offender programme he was ordered to take in court.

A panel spokesperson said: “There was also no evidence to demonstrate how Mr Calverley was addressing his behaviour and therefore the panel could not address the likelihood of repetition.”

In this case, the panel found the interests of the public should be put above the severe professional consequences the ban will have for Calverley.

Also, advice the panel is instructed to follow says it should put greater weight on cases where the incident had the potential to result in harm to a person or persons, particularly where the individual has used his professional position to influence or exploit a person or persons and any sexual misconduct involving a child.

The panel said in its conclusion: “Public confidence in the profession could be seriously weakened if conduct such as that found against Mr Calverley were not treated with the utmost seriousness.”

A spokesperson for The Adeyfield Academy said: “The school places the safety and wellbeing of our students at the heart of everything we do, therefore we were shocked by the actions of a former teacher and welcomed his conviction.

“While not convicted for offences against students from the school, the nature of his offences was so serious and such a breach of trust that we support the Secretary of State’s decision to prohibit this individual from teaching again.”