A supply teacher has been banned from teaching for life after being jailed for sexually abusing pupils.
Jonathan Clayton, 28, from Stockton-on-Tees, was last year jailed for eight-and-a-half years for sexually assaulting six girls at a Hambleton school.
Clayton was found guilty on 13 sexual touching charges following a trial at Teesside Crown Court.
Clayton also received an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and was placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.
This week the paedophile was banned from teaching following the conclusion of a teacher misconduct panel.
The panel concluded: “As a convicted sexual offender in relation to multiple offences involving children in his care, Mr Clayton’s actions are fundamentally incompatible with his being a teacher.”
Sarah Buxcey, the decision maker from the Teaching Regulation Agency, said: “Each of these offences were extremely serious in nature and occurred in the course of Mr Clayton’s duties at the School.
“They are sexual offences against young children in his care during the course of the school day.”
Clayton was told he could never ask for the ban to be reviewed, meaning it is a life ban.
She added: “These elements are the seriousness of the conviction involving young children who were in his care and the lack of either insight or remorse.
“I consider therefore that allowing for no review period is necessary to maintain public confidence and is proportionate and in the public interest.
“This means that Mr Jonathan Clayton is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England.
“Furthermore, in view of the seriousness of the allegations found proved against him, I have decided that Mr Clayton shall not be entitled to apply for
restoration of his eligibility to teach.”
Clayton’s offences were committed between March and May 2019 while he was working as a supply teacher.
The victims, whose anonymity is protected by law, were aged between 7 and 11.
The original trial heard Clayton was predator “unable to resist” girls aged between seven and 11.
It also emerged had been caught and prosecuted at a school in 2017 but when his case was dropped the accusations against him were not passed on to his new employer.
The head of the Hambleton school was “shocked and horrified” when she was told of the previous allegations at an emergency safeguarding meeting called after disclosures against Clayton by six girls at her school.
olice were told that at his first school in 2017 Clayton “fixated” on certain girls, engineering excuses to touch and cuddle them and bouncing them on his knee like toddlers.
One eight-year-old disclosed how he put his hand up her skirt whilst sitting at his desk – but her evidence was not deemed strong enough to pursue a prosecution when the case came to crown court.
The Crown Prosecution Service dropped the first case, ordering he be found not guilty at Durham Crown Court. The decision followed a statement from the girl’s mother saying she sometimes made up stories for attention.
In police interview Clayton described his young accuser as “scheming” and dismissed her claims as “absolute bulls***.”
At the trial, Clayton denied 13 charges of sexually assaulting six girls aged between seven and 11 during a six week period.
He claimed he was a victim of “Chinese whispers” among pupils and staff.
A teaching assistant at his first school gave evidence to say she informed her safeguarding lead and made a statement to police because she was so concerned by Clayton’s behaviour.
She told the court: “He would stroke his hand down a child’s back like you would with a partner. One girl had long hair and he stroked her from the top of her head all the way down her back. It made me really uncomfortable.
“It was always the girls. There were a few girls he fixated, if that is the right word, more on.”
Although the police had a complete record and the school was fully aware of all the allegations none of this information reached his new school, leaving him free to continue abusing children.
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