A south London school has issued a statement after a former teacher was banned was for making “flirtatious” comments to a pupil.
Mr Amrinder Singh Pannu, 38, worked at St Mark’s Church of England Academy in Mitcham when a pupil secretly recorded a conversation a conversation between them in September 2018.
Mr Pannu told the girl she had a “nice arse” and agreed to have sex with her when she turned 18.
Seven years later, the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) decided on September 23 that Mr Pannu should be banned from teaching for life.
A spokesperson for Anthem Schools Trust, which runs St Mark’s academy, said: “The teacher in question was suspended and dismissed seven years ago as soon as this incident came to light.
“This is a case from 2018 which occurred under historic leadership and no current student at the school was taught by the individual concerned.
“St Mark’s is committed to the wellbeing and success of all its students and this is why the school has been rated by Ofsted as ‘Outstanding’ in all areas, following its recent inspection in 2024.”
The conversation took place in a free period when the girl and Mr Pannu were alone in his classroom at the secondary school.
According to the TRA report, the pupil said to Mr Pannu “I don’t have a big arse” to which he replied “no but it’s a nice arse”.
The pupil said to Mr Pannu “I’m just teasing you” to which he said “you’re not teasing me, I know you want it”.
Mr Pannu said “if you were in a different school then it would have been a different story” and “you’re one horny girl man, f***”.
The pupil later asked “so when I turn 18 you’ll have sex with me right?” to which Mr Pannu responded with words to the effect of “a few months later then yeah”.
The pupil said she chose to record the conversation as she had told her friends but they didn’t believe her.
The day after the recording took place three members of staff received an anonymous whistleblowing email including the recording.
Mr Pannu, who had worked at the school for three years, was suspended.
When the school spoke to the girl she said Mr Pannu had told her not to tell anyone about their interactions as “his life would be ruined”.
Mr Pannu initially denied that it was him in the recording but later admitted it.
He denied that any inappropriate relationship existed with the girl or that there were any sexual acts between them.
He claimed he did not instigate or encourage the sexual conversation and denied that he flirted with her.
But the TRA panel said his behaviour and tone towards the girl was “flirtatious and wholly inappropriate for any teacher in conversation with a pupil”.
It considered that Mr Pannu encouraged the conversation and did not meaningfully shut the conversation down.
“Mr Pannu had agreed with the child to have sex with her after she had turned 18. The panel could see no way in which this behaviour could ever be viewed as anything other than extremely serious and harmful behaviour by a teacher towards a child,” the panel said.
“The panel noted the substantial power imbalance in play in their relationship and that the male role model which the child had encountered was clearly contrary to that which she and her parents would have been entitled to expect.”
Decision maker David Oatley concluded that Mr Pannu should be banned from teaching indefinitely.
