A teacher at a grammar school in south Manchester has been struck off the teaching register after booking a hotel room before having a sex with a former student.
Robert MacCallum, 39, was a PE teacher and head of Year 12 at William Hulme Grammar School in Whalley Range when he first met the pupil, who was attending the school at that time. A professional conduct panel heard that Mr MacCallum and the student, referred to as 'Pupil A' had formed a 'very close' relationship whilst they were both at the school.
There was no suggestion to the panel that any criminal offence was committed.
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Around a year after they had decided to leave the school, the pupil, who was of consensual age, told the panel they had continued speaking with the teacher over text.
Pupil A told the hearing that they'd been out to different bars with Mr MacCallum 'a handful of times' and that the two of them would stay out late until the bars would close.
The student said the teacher would give them a hug and a kiss goodbye on the forehead at the end of a night together, and that they'd always felt "safe" whilst out with him.
On one occasion, Pupil A told the panel that they had been out with Mr MacCallum for drinks with some of the student's friends and that everything had felt "normal."
Towards the end of the night, the pupil said Mr MacCallum called them "pretty" and had kissed them. The student told the hearing it was always a possibility or fantasy this would happen, but that they believed the teacher was "professional."
Later, Pupil A said the teacher had suggested they stay in a hotel which he paid for. The panel heard the student took a picture of the hotel around 10 minutes after arriving at 03.35am.
The student said it became "apparent" that the two of them were going to have sexual intercourse and did so on two occasions before they then went to sleep.
Pupil A told the hearing Mr MacCallum kept saying 'you're so naughty,' during their encounter. The student told the panel they remembered being 'very drunk and disorientated.'
Mr MacCallum denied that their meeting was prearranged, and said that he and Pupil A had bumped into each other on a night out.
But the panel found that "irrespective" of the way they had come across each other that evening, Mr MacCallum had stayed in the bar, had drinks with Pupil A, and therefore attended a night out.
He also denied that the two of them had sexual intercourse, something the panel found to be 'somewhat implausible' and 'more likely than not to have happened.'
The hearing was told that the matter was brought to the school's attention by another pupil, who had raised concerns about the appropriateness of Mr MacCallum's relationship with Pupil A.
Pupil A then contacted the school directly and following a meeting, sent a written complaint to the grammar school. The complaint included allegations of inappropriate behaviour of Mr MacCallum towards Pupil A.
Following a disciplinary hearing in October 2020, Mr MacCallum's employment at the school was terminated and the matter was referred to the Teaching Regulation Agency.
A professional conduct hearing earlier this month concluded that Mr MacCallum had "continued a relationship outside school with a former pupil" and "with whom he was in a position of trust."
"He had sexual intercourse with his former pupil and had then acted dishonestly when confronted with the facts of what he had done.
"In light of this, the panel was satisfied that the conduct of Mr MacCallum amounted to misconduct of a serious nature which fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession."
Mr MacCallum is now prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children's home in England.
He will be able to apply for the prohibition order to be aside but not until 17 November 2027, five years from the date of the order at the earliest.
A spokesperson for the school said: "We fully support this outcome and worked with the appropriate authorities during their investigation."
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