Liyarna Beamish, 39, was deputy head at Ribston Hall High, a grammar school for girls in Gloucestershire, before she admitted to having sex on school grounds with a colleague
A married teacher has been banned from the profession after admitting to having sex with a staff member in locked cupboards and classrooms – sometimes while pupils were nearby.
Liyarna Beamish, 39, was deputy head at Ribston Hall High in Gloucestershire, a top grammar school for girls, when she embarked on a two-year illicit affair with her colleague Gareth Collins, 45. The pair regularly meet for sex in the art room and supply cupboards, including during the school day.
Ms Beamish had been employed at the prestigious school since 2016, and Mr Collins as an art teacher since 2015. Both have now been banned from teaching for “unacceptable professional conduct”.
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In damning findings by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) in June, the pair admitted to the sexual relationship, with Beamish confirming it took place “during the school day and after school” on “multiple occasions” over “a couple of years”. Explicit sexual messages exchanged between them on encrypted apps helped expose the affair.
The panel concluded that both teachers’ conduct was “entirely unacceptable and irresponsible and undermining of the profession”, for which “limited remorse” was shown. Both may apply for the ban to be reconsidered, but not for two years.
The panel further determined both were willing participants, despite Ms Beamish’s claims that Mr Collins had “emotionally manipulated” her and instigated the affair.
Submitting a written statement, Ms Beamish stated she did not think she behaved in a way that could have resulted in harm to children, as she took “many precautions” to ensure that she would not be caught in the act.
But the panel determined she would have fully understood her sexually motivated actions on school premises constituted “very serious and repeated acts of misconduct”.
It added “the implications for any pupil who had discovered them could have been serious”, noting that she had not considered those implications sufficiently.
“Ms Beamish’s conduct had fallen very far short of the standard of behaviour which was required of her as a teacher and had seriously breached professional boundaries,” the report stated.
The panel reached the same conclusion for Mr Collins, and found his conduct also “fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession”.
The report said: “In light of the panel’s findings against Mr Collins, which involved engaging in repeated sexual activity during the school day on school premises at a time when he was expected to be working as a teacher, there was a strong public interest engaged in the safeguarding and wellbeing of pupils.” It added Mr Collins had expressed “some remorse” for his actions.
Signing off the ban, civil servant David Oatley said: “The findings of misconduct are serious as they include a finding of engaging in sexual intercourse and/or activity with a colleague on school premises and during school hours.”