Teacher who repeatedly played with pupils’ hair and said to one he would be their prom date banned

A teacher who told a pupil he would be their prom date and played with anothers hair has been banned indefinitely from the classroom.

Anthony Hook, 66, had ran his fingers through, plaited and played with the hair of several pupils, and had complimented another on her “lippy”, which had made them feel uncomfortable.

During his police interview, he accepted making the comment and said: “Saying I like your lippy would be something I would definitely. That would be something very much in line with the way I am”.

While working at Wright Robinson College in Manchester between 2016 and 2019, he was also found to have sung a song about how much he loved Pupil A and asked if they had liked it. The pupil later said they had found it “a bit uncomfortable and weird”.

In 2020, another pupil said that Mr Hook had called them “so beautiful” when they were in year 7 and 9, which had led to them changing sets due to feeling uneasy in his classroom.

As well as touching hair, the teacher was also found to have written “I love Mr Hook” with a love heart in a pupil’s planner – they reported the incident to their mother after it left them feeling “scared”.

The Teaching Regulation Agency found that Mr Hook’s behaviour was aggravated by the fact he had received a written instruction in 2015 from school management warning him against touching pupils and staff, following complaints from those that he taught.

In his statement, Mr Hook had consistently denied any sexual motivation to his conduct, and had said he was “not trying to groom anybody” and was seeking a friendly relationship with his students.

In their decision, the TRA said: “The panel considered that overall Mr Hook’s misconduct represented a serious blurring of professional boundaries and a failure to safeguard the safety and well-being of pupils under his care and supervision.

“Professionals are required to maintain high standards and proper professional boundaries in their professional relationships with pupils.

“A failure to do so runs the risk of seriously negatively impacting on the safety and welfare of pupils, a risk which had materialised in this case. There was no justification for Mr Hook’s actions.”

They added: “However, in addition to the concerns of repetition due to Mr Hook’s apparent inability to change his conduct despite an earlier management instruction, the panel was concerned that he continued to lack developed insight both into the seriousness of his conduct and its impact on pupils and the profession.

“Mr Hook had not demonstrated regret for the impact of his conduct on pupils. His primary focus appeared to be more on the impact of his conduct on himself.”

He has now been prohibited from the classroom indefinitely, and can only apply to have the order set aside after a two-year period.