A HEADTEACHER who accessed pornographic websites during school time has been found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct.

David Hulmes, formerly the head of Chapelfield Primary School in Radcliffe, has been banned from teaching for two years by the General Teaching Council for England (GTC).

During routine computer maintenance in June, 2003, a technician discovered the names of several dubious websites in the temporary internet files of the headteacher's computer. In the seven days prior, 14 sites with sexually explicit names had been visited.

A more detailed inspection conducted by Bury Council revealed that visits to sites of sexually explicit material dated back to October, 2000. In total 53 sites had been repeatedly visited.

Mr Hulmes did not attend the disciplinary hearing in Birmingham, nor was he represented, but in a written submission he admitted visiting the sites.

The teacher claimed he had gone to the sites to test the system, to make sure they were not easily accessible to children after he had earlier heard from another teacher at the school that a nine-year-old pupil had told of his ease in accessing porn at a local library.

Mr Graham Shaw, presenting officer for the GTC, told the disciplinary committee that it was extraordinarily unwise for him to have undertaken this endeavour without informing either the school, the governors or the local education authority (LEA).

Six video downloads, which acted as tasters for longer pornographic films, were also found on his computer.

During the summer holidays in 2003 an LEA investigation was started, although it was never completed and Hulmes resigned from his post on September 1, 2003.

Roger Holt, senior advisor for educational quality and advisory services with Bury Council, who led the investigation, told the hearing: "I don't see why it was necessary for Mr Hulmes to continue to look at those sites over a three-year period."

Duncan Walker, technical support officer with Bury Council, who assisted with the computer investigation, said: "I was very surprised that a headteacher would have been accessing these kind of images. I wouldn't have expected to see images like this on a works computer, certainly not a headteachers."

Mr Hulme was also found guilty of two other charges; one of failing to reimburse, or failure to keep appropriate records of his reimbursement for personal calls at school, and of using his time inappropriately.

Mr Hulmes only paid £30 toward his personal calls and internet use, even though he ran up a bill of £461.

The hearing was also told that he averaged 61.7 minutes online per day, and that he would regularly leave school to take personal drum lessons.

He would even interrupt classes to ask teachers to solve the crossword clues that he could not solve.

Mr Holt said: "He was spending time online that could not be justified as headteacher." He added: "My personal opinion was that Mr Hulmes was spending an excessive amount of time on personal matters."

Mr Hulmes can apply to be put back on the teachers register in two years time.

Ms Judy Moorhouse, chairman of the disciplinary committee, said: "Accessing pornographic material on the internet is wholly unacceptable by any teacher, let alone a headteacher who should express the best of standards."

Prior to his resignation Mr Hulmes had been a teacher for 27 years. The committee was told he had presided over a school which had set exceptionally high standards and had been so good that it was invited to apply for beacon status.

In his written submission, Mr Hulmes said:"I do not deny errors in judgement." He added:"This experience has me doubt if I ever want to return to a headship."