DONCASTER TEACHER MICHAEL HAGUE BANNED OVER INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR
In December 2018, a teacher at a Doncaster school was prohibited from practicing in the profession following allegations of inappropriate conduct involving a girl.Michael Hague, 55, previously employed as a PE teacher and tennis coach at Doncaster's private Hill House School in Finningley, was indefinitely banned after the Teacher Regulation Authority (TRA) concluded he had engaged in unacceptable professional behaviour.
The TRA panel clarified that Hague’s actions—which included kissing the girl on the forehead, touching her bottom on three occasions, hugging her, and making lewd remarks—were not driven by sexual intent.
Instead, they described his conduct as "old-fashioned and not in keeping with the safeguarding requirements of today’s society." The panel also labeled Hague as a "touchy-feely" individual and noted that his behaviour could potentially damage the reputation of the teaching profession.
The report revealed that Hague and the girl exchanged text messages, with Hague signing off some messages with "xx".
The girl stated that the bottom touching incidents occurred on three occasions; she believed one of these may have been accidental, but the other two were deliberate.
Although a police investigation was conducted, Hague was not charged with any offence and resigned from the school later in 2016.
Hague denied that he touched the girl’s bottom, but the panel found the girl’s account more convincing and concluded this allegation was proven.
However, the panel dismissed claims that Hague made sexual remarks or that his behaviour was sexually motivated.
Hague maintained that his actions—such as hugging, kissing the girl’s head, and contacting her by phone—were not inappropriate but were intended as acts of care and not malicious.
The panel acknowledged these actions as inappropriate but suggested they might have been motivated by a "misplaced display of concern" rather than any harmful intent.
Consequently, they did not find the sexual misconduct allegations proven.
The TRA panel recommended that Hague be banned from teaching, with the possibility of applying for re-entry after two years.
This recommendation was accepted by the Department for Education.
