Ruqaiyah Akhtar, 42, worked at Haberdashers’ Crayford Academy between 2020 and 2021 when an ex-pupil from a previous school attempted to blackmail her for money and a new car.
The pupil, who Ms Akhtar taught at Kingsford Community School in east London in 2014, alleged that she had groomed and had sex with him from the age of 16.
A Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) misconduct report which was published last week found that Ms Akhtar should be banned from teaching indefinitely.
The misconduct panel stated that whilst there was insufficient evidence that a sexual relationship or grooming took place before the pupil turned 18, she had engaged in a sexual relationship in 2017 and 2020 when he was over the age of 18.
“The pupil was over 18 years old, but the panel was satisfied that he would have continued to be considered vulnerable. Ms Akhtar was 16 years older than the pupil and there was a historical position of power from her previous role as his form tutor at the school,” the misconduct report stated.
The sexual relationship took place after Ms Akhtar had left Kingsford Community School but before she applied to join Haberdashers’ Crayford Academy in summer 2020, the TRA panel found.
The pupil admitted that he had attempted to blackmail Ms Akhtar in 2020, stating “pay me money and I won’t take you to court”.
He said it was not the right thing to do but he was not in the best state of mind.
The misconduct panel saw WhatsApp messages from Ms Akhtar to the pupil which said “you say you love me but you let someone convince you I groomed you”.
Ms Akhtar went to the police in August 2020 stating that “due to the level of abuse, threats and blackmail, she was concerned for her safety”.
But she failed to inform her new employer, Haberdashers’ Crayford Academy, that she faced grooming allegations and was being blackmailed until January 2021.
In a written reflection Ms Akhtar wrote that it was an “ill-advised decision” on her part to enter into a relationship with the pupil and that it had opened her up to exploitation, “which the pupil took advantage of”.
But the TRA panel found her reflections focused solely on her own position and that there was a “complete failure” by her to recognise the impact her actions had on the pupil and his family.
The pupil wrote that there is “a lot of mental trauma and I still with it to this day”.
“It has changed my life. It pushed me to the point I had to push everyone away as I didn’t know who to trust,” he said.
TRA decision maker Sarah Buxcey concluded that MS Akhtar should be banned from teaching indefinitely.
A Haberdashers’ Crayford Academy spokesperson said: “As soon as we became aware of allegations relating to Ms Akhtar from her previous schools, we activated our safeguarding procedures, liaised promptly with the relevant authorities, and completed the required risk assessments. A referral was also made to the Teaching Regulation Agency.
“Ms Akhtar resigned from Crayford Academy during our internal disciplinary process, which was completed despite this. None of the misconduct referenced in the TRA report occurred at our school.”
Kingsford Community School were contacted for comment.
