BROOKMANS PARK TEACHER BANNED FOR SAFEGUARDING FAILINGS
A reverend and part-time teacher at a school in Brookmans Park has been banned after a misconduct hearing found serious safeguarding failings relating to a convicted child sex offender.He appeared before a Teaching Regulation Agency panel last month, accused of failing to notify the relevant safeguarding team that Person A, who was a convicted child sex offender, had been in contact with or had seen or was living with a person whose name was redacted in the published report.
Rev Bullock also failed to notify the relevant safeguarding team that Person A was in or was at risk of being in breach of the Sexual Offences Prevention Order or the Safeguarding Agreement.
He admitted both these allegations, but denied searching for information on how to delete text messages to remove potential evidence, considering this dishonest.
He also refuted claims that he failed to safeguard children.
In or around 2013, Person A started attending the church where Rev Bullock was a parish priest, and although this person was a convicted sex offender who had sexually abused a child, the Rev felt he "could not inform anyone as he was bound by the seal of confession".
In October 2018, Rev Bullock told Queenswood School that he had been made aware five years earlier of Person A's conviction.
Rev Bullock signed a safeguarding agreement in 2017 related to Person A.
In May 2018, Rev Bullock offered Person A the option to sleep overnight in a parish centre room.
Later in October 2018, police found Person A hiding with an underage child and later arrested them.
On October 17, 2018, Rev Bullock was suspended by Queenswood School during police investigations, and he was dismissed in April 2020.
The panel found all allegations proven, amounting to unacceptable professional conduct, with serious safeguarding failings and dishonesty.
As a result, Rev Bullock is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot apply for restoration.
