SEAN POWELL'S SHOCKING MISCONDUCT AT HARWICH SCHOOL REVEALED

In February 2016, a disturbing case involving Sean Powell, a teacher at Harwich and Dovercourt High School in Essex, came to public attention. Powell, aged 49 and married, was found to possess multiple memory sticks filled with explicit images of pupils, including close-up photographs of their cleavage, bottoms, and legs. These images had been downloaded from students' Facebook accounts and stored in a laptop bag kept within his department office.

Following the discovery of these images, Powell was immediately suspended from his position and subsequently dismissed from his role as head of department at the school. Despite the severity of the evidence, a professional conduct panel determined that Powell could continue teaching, citing that his actions were 'not sexually motivated' and classified as less serious within the spectrum of misconduct.

In addition to the images stored on his memory sticks, the panel heard allegations that Powell had made inappropriate comments to female students and had engaged in direct contact with them through various means. It was revealed that he had contacted one student, referred to as Pupil A, on an old mobile phone he had given her—rather than a school-issued device—and also via Facebook. Powell justified this contact by claiming he was her tutor and that she was 'pregnant, living alone and had medical difficulties,' suggesting he was offering support.

Further allegations involved Powell messaging another student, Pupil B, on her personal phone and Facebook, purportedly to 'congratulate her on obtaining an apprenticeship after she had left the school.' He also sought out Pupil C's mobile number, calling her to discuss her attendance, admitting that he had called her from his own mobile phone on one occasion and acknowledging that it was 'foolish' to do so.

Powell also admitted to engaging in 'inappropriate physical contact' with female pupils, which included touching their faces and hands and placing his arms around some of the girls. The panel was informed that he had made a comment to Pupil B about how 'nice her legs looked in a photograph from her Facebook,' though Powell denied making this remark, and the panel did not hear from Pupil B to corroborate the claim.

Similarly, he was accused of telling Pupil C she 'looked nice' and had 'a lovely frame.' Powell admitted to the former but denied the latter, claiming he intended it as a confidence-boosting compliment. The panel, which did not hear from Pupil C, decided 'on the balance of probabilities' that he had made the comment about her frame.

Another student, Pupil F, reported that Powell had told her that her clothing was distracting him and that he could not concentrate during their class interactions. Pupil F described her attire as a white buttoned-up blouse with a jacket, but she could not recall whether the blouse was see-through or if she had removed the jacket during lessons. Powell claimed he was embarrassed because he believed her blouse was transparent and reported that he had subsequently informed her form tutor, who confronted Pupil F about her clothing. Pupil F was upset and angry about the situation.

Despite some inconsistencies, the panel believed Powell's account and concluded that he had followed proper procedures in reporting Pupil F to her form tutor. The panel also considered Pupil F to be an unconvincing witness.

The misconduct, which had begun in 2011, was deemed 'unacceptable professional conduct.' However, the panel emphasized that there was no evidence or allegation of sexually motivated behavior. They noted that Powell had acknowledged his foolishness and believed some of his actions stemmed from well-meaning intentions, such as supporting vulnerable pupils like Pupil A.

On behalf of the Secretary of State, Jayne Millions agreed with the panel's assessment, stating that Powell's behavior was at the less serious end of misconduct and that there was no evidence of sexual motivation. She concluded that Powell should be permitted to continue his teaching career, highlighting that the panel also recognized him as a good and effective teacher in other respects.

Rob Garrett, the head teacher of Harwich and Dovercourt High School, confirmed that Powell was no longer employed at the school. The institution, which educates pupils aged 11 to 18, had been rated as 'requires improvement' in its latest Ofsted report from May 2014. Garrett emphasized the school's commitment to pupil safety, stating, 'The wellbeing of our pupils is of paramount importance to us and we have robust safeguarding procedures in place.' He added, 'Mr Powell was suspended as soon as the allegations against him came to light and is no longer employed by the school. I am satisfied that all accusations were thoroughly investigated and the appropriate action was taken.'

Regarding whether a criminal investigation was initiated, Essex Police could not confirm if any charges had been filed against Powell. From his home in Harwich, Essex, Powell declined to comment on the matter. The case remains a stark reminder of the importance of safeguarding and the complexities involved in professional conduct investigations within educational settings.