West Yorkshire teacher banned for life after details of historic sex offence emerge

Minsthorpe Community College teacher Joshua Barraclough had been a 20-year-old Scout leader when he incited a girl to engage in sexual activity. The offence took place before he became a teacher and only came to light around 10 years later, prompting a police investigation.

Barraclough had been employed as a general classroom teacher and science teacher at the secondary school in South Elmsall from September 2019. The school was notified of the allegations in January 2021 and he was dismissed from his role on May 14 that year. He pleaded guilty to the criminal charges later brought against him and was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court last year.

A professional conduct panel convened by the Teaching Regulation Agency on March 13 this year noted that although the incident took place outside of the school environment and outside of school hours, Barraclough’s actions were relevant to teaching and his suitability to work in an education setting.

It noted the remarks of the judge in the case, which had been submitted as part of a bundle outlining a number of mitigating factors taken into consideration during the sentencing. The judge had said Barraclough – now 31 – was clearly not fully mature at the time when the incident took place and he was quite confident that he would not have acted in the same way now. He took into account the absence of any grooming behaviour, acknowledging Barraclough ultimately stopped speaking with the girl after she had first contacted him and that she had led the sexualised conversation.

The judge imposed a 21-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months. Barraclough was also ordered to complete 15 rehabilitation activity days and 100 hours of unpaid work, as well as being placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.

Although his good character and low risk of reoffending were taken into account by the court, no mitigation was submitted to the teaching panel on his behalf. There was also no evidence to demonstrate exceptionally high standards in his personal and professional conduct or a significant contribution to the education sector.

The panel found the seriousness of the offending behaviour that led to his conviction was relevant to Barraclough’s suitability to teach. It noted that while he was a Scout leader and not a teacher at the time of the offence, he was was still likely to have been aware of the importance of safeguarding and maintaining appropriate boundaries with children in his care.

In a summary published on March 28, decision maker Alan Meyrick said Barraclough would be prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England. He added the seriousness of the proven allegations meant he would not be entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach.

It was noted that an appeal against the decision could still be lodged with the courts within 28 days of the decision being made.