A teacher has received a lifetime ban from the classroom following a 17-month prison sentence for grooming two schoolgirls.
Luke Berry, 36, was employed at Joyce Frankland Academy in Essex when he committed multiple s*xual offenses against students under the age of 18. He inappropriately touched a female pupil five times between September and October 2020 and sent inappropriate messages to another child from June to October of the following year.
Berry worked at the mixed 11-18 secondary school from September 2017 until May 2022, when he resigned. After two arrests in 2021 and 2022, he pleaded guilty in February 2024 at Colchester Magistrates’ Court to charges of engaging in s*xual communication with a child and s*xual activity with a girl aged 13 to 17.
In addition to his 17-month prison sentence, he has been placed on the child s*x offender register for life and issued a s*xual harm prevention order for a duration of ten years.
On January 7, 2022, the incident was referred to the Teaching Regulation Agency, and a professional conduct panel hearing was held on March 27 of this year. The panel determined that Berry’s actions were “highly relevant to teaching, working with children, and functioning in an educational setting,” and noted that the offenses were committed against two pupils.
The report stated that his behavior jeopardized the safety and security of students, underscoring the seriousness of his offenses.
Last year, the headteacher of Joyce Frankland Academy communicated with parents, expressing his “deep disappointment and disgust” regarding Berry’s actions.
During the sentencing, the judge remarked, “The attempts to normalize your behavior or conversations show that this was calculating. It was grooming behavior. I am extremely concerned that you do not yet appreciate the substantial serious effects your behavior has had on these young women.”
The judge also noted that Berry did not recognize his s*xual attraction to children, and a pre-sentence report assessed him as posing a high risk of harm to children. As a result of his actions, Berry has been permanently banned from teaching and will not be able to apply for the ban to be revoked.
