Music teacher is banned from the classroom for life after volunteer performed sex act on him at school just 12 days into his new job

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A music teacher has been handed a lifetime ban from the profession after a school volunteer performed a sex act on him in his classroom - just 12 days into his new job.

Louis Davies, 39, embarked on the liaison with the woman - described as a 'young adult' - at Sturminster Newton High School in Dorset in September 2024, as pupils made their way along the corridor outside for morning registration.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Davies, who only joined the school at the start of term, had already sent the woman a photograph of the underneath of his classroom desk accompanied by sexually charged messages before the encounter took place.

The inappropriate act was discovered when a pupil told staff that the woman had asked her whether her lipstick was smudged because 'she had just [performed a sex act] on Mr Davies in his classroom'. 

The teacher initially denied any physical contact but later admitted he and the woman had 'shared a very quick kiss' in the music room and that he had exchanged sexualised images and messages with her outside school hours.

He was dismissed for gross misconduct on September 23, 2024 - just 22 days after starting the job.   

Davies has now been banned from teaching for life by a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel.

The school was rated Good at its latest Ofsted inspection and is situated in the market town of Sturminster Newton, in the picturesque Blackmore Vale valley. 

Louis Davies (pictured), 39, embarked on the liaison with the woman - described in tribunal documents as a 'young adult' - at Sturminster Newton High School in Dorset in September 2024 

The tribunal heard the school volunteer, referred to as Individual A, approached a student, known as Pupil A, before morning registration on September 13, 2024. 

The pair 'had been close friends for approximately twelve months', the panel noted. 

Individual A asked Pupil A if her lipstick was smudged before telling them she had just performed a sex act on Davies in his classroom. 

Pupil A also said, in a written statement, Individual A told them the same day the teacher had 'played with her underwear underneath her dress' in his classroom. 

They were also shown messages the teacher had sent Individual A, including that which pictured his desk. 

It also emerged later during an internal investigation that the pair had also shared a kiss in a classroom.  

On September 13, the day the sex act was performed, Pupil A told a staff member, referred to as Witness B, what Individual A said about his behaviour. 

Witness B spoke to Individual A, who acknowledged 'exchanging flirtatious messages' with the teacher but denied physical contact. 

Davies, meanwhile, accepted sending the desk photograph and accompanying message, saying it was sent as a 'flippant remark' and joke. 

He first denied any sexual activity with Individual A at school.

But the school met with the teacher again on September 16, when he admitted for the first time he had kissed Individual A in the music room before registration that week. 

Davies also confessed to exchanging sexualised images and messages outside school hours, such as discussions about 'size of sexual organs'. 

He admitted: 'Sharing a quick kiss is unprofessional. The photograph of the desk and connotations, although humour was inferred, was unprofessional.' 

The next day, he emailed the school to say he remembered Individual A had told him a week ago about engaging in sexual intercourse with a teacher at another school. 

This had happened several times in the given staff member's classroom. 

The school said Davies should have immediately flagged Individual A's confession to the school as a safeguarding issue. 

This was formally referred to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) at the council on September 18 and an initial evaluation meeting was held. 

Davies, who had only joined the school (pictured, file photo) at the start of term, had already sent the woman a photograph of the underneath of his classroom desk accompanied by sexually charged messages before the encounter took place

A follow-up meeting with the LADO, who is in charge of handling complaints about adults who work with children, happened on September 23. 

The LADO and the school agreed the allegations were substantiated and Mr Davies was dismissed that day for gross misconduct. 

He was referred to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) a month later and to the TRA in February last year. 

Mr Davies did not appear at the hearing and was not represented. 

But the panel concluded in his absence he was guilty of unacceptable conduct that might bring the profession into disrepute. 

They noted he had changed his account of events during the school's internal investigation, first denying physical contact before admitting the kiss and messages. 

He also expressed being 'devastated that my trust has been broken' and later blocked Individual A on all platforms. 

But the panel said: 'This expression of distress centred mainly on the breach of trust between himself and Individual A rather than on the impact of his actions on pupils and colleagues.'  

It concluded he had shown 'only limited insight and remorse' about his actions. 

And the panel also said he only did so during the school's internal investigation, as he did not engage at all in the TRA proceedings. 

'Mr Davies did not provide any further explanation or reflection, and did not demonstrate any broader understanding of the safeguarding implications or the seriousness of his actions,' the panel said. 

It recommended he was banned from the profession for life, a ruling which was upheld by the Secretary of State.