A TEACHER who sent ‘sexually explicit’ texts to a parent has been banned from the classroom after displaying favouritism towards the woman’s daughter and keeping photographs of pupils on his iPad.

Martin Wrigley, 48, who taught at Chatburn CE Primary School, in Ribblesdale View from September 2014 and April 2016, also sent inappropriate text messages to the pupil’s sister, a disciplinary panel heard.

Wrigley denied the allegations and was not present at the hearing, but a professional conduct panel of the National College of Teaching and Leadership ruled his behaviour amounted to ‘serious misconduct which fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession’.

The panel heard Wrigley had been warned by the pupil’s father to stay away from his wife after he discovered they had been exchanging sexually explicit messages.

The dad then found out Wrigley had been texting his other daughter and reported it to the headteacher, who launched an investigation, the panel heard.

It was during this investigation that staff said Wrigley had been displaying favouritism towards the year six pupil, known as pupil A.

Teachers said he would regularly allow her to hand out books to the exclusion of others, allowed her to stay in the classroom at break times, would speak to her in an ‘over familiar’ way and pick her for parts in the school play. She would also hug him at the end of the school day.

One teacher told the panel: “It got to the point of being a joke amongst staff about who would win a particular competition as they knew it would be pupil A.”

The panel heard Wrigley also told a teaching assistant he had been given several warnings at a previous school including for using Facebook to chat to the parent of a pupil.

The panel also heard Wrigley kept videos of pupils doing gymnastics which were still on his iPad months later.

Alan Meyrick, who made the decision on behalf of the education secretary, said the panel was satisfied messages sent to the parent were sexually explicit, but it did not breach professional standards as it did not involve a pupil.

He said: “The panel considered that showing favouritism to pupil A and inappropriately texting pupil B, taken in the context of the relationship he had formed with their mother, showed a reckless disregard for the possible impact of his behaviour on the wellbeing of the pupils.”

He said that Wrigley had already had a number of informal warnings but ignored this demonstrating ‘a cavalier attitude’. “The retention of photographs compromised school policy and could potentially have affected the safeguarding of pupils.” he said.

Wrigley was told he is banned from teaching which he can request is reviewed after two years.

Emma Gardiner, headteacher at Chatburn, said: “I can confirm that a member of staff was dismissed last year following the school’s disciplinary procedures.

“We have already moved on as a school but we are relieved that the broader disciplinary process has now run its course.”