A PE teacher who was banned after asking if a pupil had sex with her boyfriend could be allowed to teach again.

Samuel Hawley, who joined Saffron Walden County High School in 2019, was banned from teaching after a two-day misconduct hearing last month.

The 29-year-old denied allegations that he persistently asked to meet a schoolgirl on her own and that he’d asked if her boyfriend had been “her first” and if they had “done other stuff”.

He was also accused of hugging the pupil and offering to drive her home.

Harwich and Manningtree Standard: Mr Hawley was banned from teaching by the Teaching Regulation AgencyMr Hawley was banned from teaching by the Teaching Regulation Agency (Image: Archant)

Mr Hawley admitted having contact with the pupil which he did not advise management of, against advice he’d previously received.

The PE teacher resigned the day after an investigation was launched against him in March 2022 following a complaint from a parent, Teaching Regulation Agency documents published on Thursday reveal.

The panel felt Mr Hawley, who attended the hearing in person, undermined his own evidence by using phrases like “I was getting nothing back from her”.

The evidence reviewed by the misconduct panel included CCTV footage and text messages.

A witness said they had found Mr Hawley in his classroom with two female pupils outside of school hours with the door and blinds closed, even though he had been previously warned about conduct of this nature.

The panel felt his conduct “fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession”.

Why could Samuel Hawley be allowed to teach again?

David Oatley, who decided Mr Hawley’s fate on behalf of the Education Secretary, said the former teacher’s actions were deliberate and “may have been motivated by a degree of naivety”.

Despite the seriousness of the allegations, Mr Oatley ruled Mr Hawley could apply for the ban to be lifted after two years.

A panel will meet to consider any application made and he will remain banned from teaching unless an application is approved.

“In my judgement, a two-year review period reflects the seriousness of the inappropriate behaviour in this case and is sufficient to achieve the aim of maintaining public confidence in the profession,” Mr Oatley wrote.

A spokesman for the school said it was "concerned about the conduct of Mr Hawley" and reported its concerns to the local authority designated officer and the Teaching Regulations Agency.