A TEACHER who met up with one of his pupils despite being told not to do so by the school’s senior management team has been banned from the profession for life.

Samuel Hawley, who taught PE at Saffron Walden County High, faced the allegations at a meeting of the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA).

A three-person panel presented eight allegations to Mr Hawley, who denied unacceptable professional conduct but admitted frequently asking to meet the pupil on her own.

Mr Hawley denied making inappropriate physical contact with a pupil, asking the pupil about the break-up with her boyfriend, and offering the pupil a lift home in his car.

Mr Hawley also denied saying: “You're making yourself a stranger to me, but I want you to know that you're still one of my favourites and I still care about you.”

The panel heard evidence from two witnesses, with Mr Hawley, 28, giving evidence at the two-day hearing last month.

The panel heard Mr Hawley, who is an amateur footballer for Suffolk team Haverhill Rovers, and formerly captained Lakenheath FC, was employed by Saffron Waldon County High on September 1, 2019.

Five months later, in February 2020, he was given verbal guidance in relation to one-to-one interactions with pupils.

By December 2020, staff held a formal meeting with Mr Hawley because of his “failure to pass on relevant safeguarding information and [continuing] one-to-one interactions with pupils in contravention of the guidance given”.

Mr Hawley received a written letter of expectation following the meeting, and in June 2021, he received an additional letter of expectation following a meeting.

The concerns continued into 2022 when the pupil’s parent contacted the school with safeguarding concerns, and an investigation started on March 14.

By this time, Mr Hawley had twice been referred to a local authority designated officer and had had been warned by the school leadership four times.

Mr Hawley resigned the day after the investigation began.

Following the TRA’s meeting last month, Mr Hawley was banned from teaching indefinitely, but can apply for the prohibition order to be set aside in February 2026.

Should the application be unsuccessful, Mr Hawley’s ban will continue.