Teacher suspended after conducting “inappropriate” relationship with pupil

A male teacher has been suspended for two years after conducting an “intense and romantic” relationship with a pupil at an independent girls’ school.Darren Holmes, who taught maths at Sheffield High School, where fees reach more than £9,500 a year, was found guilty of “unacceptable professional conduct” by the General Teaching Council’s Professional Conduct Committee.He was found to have “behaved inappropriately with a pupil by engaging in personal and unprofessional correspondence by email and text messages” during his period of employment at the school from September 2007 until October 2008.Andrew Connell, committee chair, said: “We have concluded from the evidence that Mr Holmes formed an intense and romantic relationship with Pupil A.”This was facilitated and promoted by email and mobile text messages from early September 2008 to his suspension from the school on October 14, 2008.”The communications were highly inappropriate but there is no evidence of any meetings out of school or sexual activity – Telegraph