Two Lincolnshire special needs teachers banned by regulator

Two former teachers at a school for vulnerable children have been banned from the profession following disciplinary panel hearings. Thomas Hayward and Alison Simmons worked at the Build-a-Future Independent School in Boston, Lincolnshire, until 2021. The Teaching Regulation Agency found that Hayward had thrown stones and eggs "at or near pupils", used racist and offensive language and had "simulated having sex with a pupil" while lying on him. The panel ruled that Simmons, who was the school's designated safeguarding lead, "did not safeguard the welfare of pupils and/or staff at the school". The private school, near Horncastle, catered for children aged 13 to 16 who have been permanently excluded or have Special Educational Needs or Disabilities and mental health issues. In its findings report, the misconduct panel said that Hayward had also "encouraged one or more pupils using a dead animal as a ball" and had "attended the school with bullets and/or live ammunition" in his car. The panel found that the teachers behaviour amounted to unacceptable professional conduct and both were prohibited from teaching indefinitely. Neither attended the hearing and nor did they have legal repres