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A 'caring' teacher who gave his students a lift so they would not be forced to walk home in the dark after a school trip has been reprimanded. Karl Whiting said he became 'emotionally over-invested' in his class and wanted to be 'supportive' towards his pupils. After a school-organised theme park visit, he enjoyed a meal at a restaurant with three students, paying only for his own meal. The head of year then drove two students home so they did not have to walk back 'when it was later in the evening and dark'. A Teaching Regulation Agency panel said he 'failed to sufficiently safeguard students' by not telling another teacher he was alone with the students. When one of his former pupils later got in touch to invite him to a show she was starring in, he accepted as a goodwill gesture. The Midlands teacher went on to exchange about 100 messages with the former pupil on Facebook Messenger. But the panel said his conduct with the former student was 'serious' because he failed to 'maintain professional boundaries'. READ MORE: Donald Trump reveals what he really thinks of Charles and Camilla Mr Whiting was working at the time as a science teacher and head of year 10 at Huxlow Academy, Northamptonshire - a mixed secondary school and sixth form operated as an academy by Trove Learning Trust. The panel found he attended a meal with students without another member of staff present, drove students home and failed to inform a manager that he intended to do so and failed to ensure a second adult was present. He also spoke with former student A on Facebook Messenger when she was under 18 years of age. In June 2023, Mr Whiting and other staff supervised year 11 students on a school trip to a theme park. He went to a restaurant with three students after the trip, driving two pupils - student A and student B - home in his car once they had eaten. Mr Whiting had 'obtained consent' from student A's mum to take her child home. But he failed to inform any other members of staff that he would be driving the two students home in his car alone. A report from the panel read: "Apart from Mr Whiting, no other adults ate with the students at the restaurant. "Mr Whiting paid for his own meal but not those of the students." According to the school's code of conduct, adults can agree to transport pupils during out-of-school activities. But it read: "Transport arrangements should be made in advance by a designated employee (with the permission of a senior leader) who will be responsible for planning and overseeing all transport arrangements and respond to any concerns that may arise. "Wherever possible and practicable transport should be provided other than in private vehicles, with at least one adult additional to the driver acting as an escort." The code of conduct also states that it is 'inappropriate for adults to offer lifts to a pupil' unless agreed with a manager and parents or carers. The report went on: "The panel found that Mr Whiting failed to sufficiently safeguard students by his actions in attending a meal with students without another member of staff being present and driving students home without informing a manager that he intended to do so and/or ensuring that a second adult was present." But the panel said Mr Whiting's conduct 'was not so serious as to amount to unacceptable professional conduct'. He had 'made mistakes and errors of judgement' but it was unlikely to 'damage the public’s perception', it said. The report added: "Mr Whiting had not complied with the requirements of the school’s code of conduct but the panel found that in giving the students a lift home he was motivated by seeking to prevent the students from having to walk home when it was later in the evening and dark." In November 2023, student A reached out to Mr Whiting on Facebook Messenger after leaving the school for college. The now former student invited him to attend a pantomime in which she was performing in January 2024, with the teacher agreeing to go. Mr Whiting and the former student continued to speak to each other on Facebook Messenger until early June 2024. In June 2024, the former student asked Mr Whiting to attend another theatre performance, which he went to. But later that month, her father contacted the school and reported concerns about the teacher's conduct. The school then launched an investigation, with Mr Whiting's employment ending in September 2024. The report read: "The school’s investigation report recorded that the exchange of correspondence between Mr Whiting and former student A on Facebook Messenger comprised of around 100 or so messages. "Throughout the contact described above former student A was under the age of 18 and Mr Whiting was aware of this." The school's code of conduct states that adults should 'maintain appropriate professional boundaries and avoid behaviour which might be misinterpreted by others'. It added: "They should report any incident with this potential." The panel said Mr Whiting's conduct was a 'serious breach of professional boundaries' and 'created a serious risk of harm' to both the former student and himself. Unlike the first allegation, the panel found Mr Whiting 'guilty of unacceptable professional conduct' and said it 'constituted conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute'. The panel said: "Such correspondence should never have taken place in the context of the previous professional relationship between Mr Whiting and former student A, particularly taking account of the imbalance of power between the correspondents." 'Remorseful' Mr Whiting - who was said to be of 'good professional character' - admitted all allegations. He said he 'understood his mistakes and poor judgements', along with the 'risks' to the school. The panel said: "He accepted that he had fallen short of the standards required of him. "He acknowledged that he had become emotionally over-invested in a class that had included former student A and was seeking to be supportive and caring." Mr Whiting insisted there would be no 'risk of repetition' and that he had re-familiarised himself with relevant policies. The report added: "Mr Whiting expressed his deep regret at putting himself and the school’s reputation in the situation he had and letting his employers and himself down. "He took full responsibility for, and understood the seriousness of, his actions and expressed remorse. "He outlined personal challenges that he was facing at the time of the events, which he had reflected upon and accepted, clouded his judgment. "He committed himself to rebuilding trust and ensuring that the failings were never repeated." The panel found that Mr Whiting breached teaching standards and that his actions amounted to misconduct. But it decided that a prohibition order, which would have banned Mr Whiting from teaching indefinitely, was not appropriate during a hearing in August. Instead, it said: "The panel considered that the publication of the adverse findings it had made was sufficient to send an appropriate message to the teacher as to the standards of behaviour that are not acceptable, and the publication would meet the public interest requirement of declaring proper standards of the profession." Don't miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the BirminghamLive newsletter here .
