A FORMER woman teacher at a Grays school has been banned from teaching after a panel found she sent messages about her sexual encounters to a pupil and encouraged him to smoke cannabis with her.

Charlotte Doman, then 32, was a history teacher at William Edwards secondary school in Grays, Essex, when her inappropriate contact began.

A professional conduct panel has now released details of its findings.

The panel heard Ms Doman, who was originally employed as a trainee teacher in September 2018 and became a history teacher in 2019, sent dozens of messages to the child between April and May 2023.

In one she said: "You're not even legal or an adult or anything. Like, am I taking advantage of you? Some days it feels like you're taking advantage of me lol."

In messages seen by the panel, she told him: "You have all the control in this relationship."

She also told the pupil details about her sexual relationships. The panel was told of an Instagram message where Ms Donan said: "One night I ended up with three different guys."

She was said to have made comments about the pupil's appearance and messaged him, saying: "I literally go get waxed every eight weeks for no-one to appreciate it."

The panel also heard Ms Doman encouraged the student and his friends to "pull sickies" on a day she was off school, and at least once invited the target of her affection to spend time alone with her.

The now 34-year-old, who resigned from the school in June 2023, did not attend her misconduct hearing, but in written statements said the "little duck" nickname was "not romantic".

She said she was letting the pupil "know that someone cared about his existence" in telling him she loved him.

Ms Doman admitted she also encouraged the student to drink alcohol and smoke cannabis with her, and said: "I am unsure why any of this occurred.

"I certainly don't behave like this myself. I drink alcohol less than once a month and never to excess, and I've never taken drugs."

The teacher also admitted she had sent the pupil messages outside of school hours and acknowledged she told him to "remove all trace" of her from his phone.

Ms Doman denied her conduct was sexually motivated and said she saw the student as "like her child", but the panel ruled on the contrary.

It said Ms Doman's behaviour had a "seriously damaging" impact on the pupil, his parents, the school and its wider community, and her conduct "had the potential to influence him in a harmful way".

Ms Doman was facing "difficulties" in her personal life at the time, the hearing was told, but the panel ruled that she "did not show sufficient insight in respect of the impact her conduct had on others".

Marc Cavey, TRA chief executive, decided she should be banned from teaching indefinitely, subject to a five-year review period.