A teacher has been permanently barred from teaching after engaging in a sexual relationship with a former student from a school where he had undergone training. Benjamin Steven Hiscox, now 34, was prohibited from teaching for life due to his inappropriate conduct.
The incidents occurred during Hiscox’s training at Madras College in St Andrews, where the student, identified as Pupil A, was enrolled. Hiscox, who had been a math teacher at South Nottinghamshire Academy in Radcliffe on Trent, faced allegations of a sexual relationship with a former pupil from the Scottish school.
Following the girl’s parents’ discovery of the relationship, Police Scotland and the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) investigated the matter. A report by the TRA, released on October 24, detailed how Pupil A initiated contact with Hiscox on Instagram, leading to explicit conversations and a physical meeting at a hotel in October 2022.
During the hotel encounter, Hiscox allegedly requested Pupil A to wear her school uniform, and they engaged in sexual activities while consuming red wine. Despite plans for a subsequent meeting in January 2023, the girl informed her parents about the teacher, leading to the exposure of the relationship.
Hiscox claimed he was unaware of Pupil A’s age and former student status at the time of their interactions, stating he only learned of her age shortly before their second meeting. However, the girl asserted that she had disclosed these details early on in their conversations, to which Hiscox allegedly responded in a suggestive manner.
Although Police Scotland found no criminal wrongdoing due to the student’s age and the lack of teaching relationship at the time, the TRA concluded that Hiscox’s actions were sexually motivated. Consequently, he was permanently banned from teaching in England, with the TRA emphasizing his lack of remorse and potential risk to students’ well-being.
Efforts to obtain comments from South Nottinghamshire Academy, Redhill Academy Trust, and Police Scotland by Mirror Online have been made.
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