Banned teacher asked colleague for nude photo

A teacher has been banned from the profession after he sent sexual messages to junior female colleagues, a panel has ruled.

Ashley Kalnins sent "unsolicited and seriously inappropriate messages", including asking for nude pictures, the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel was told.

Kalnins also told two people to delete messages, between about September 2016 and December 2018, while working at St Francis Catholic Primary School in Warwickshire, it emerged.

The 39-year-old, who said he was "truly sorry", was barred from teaching indefinitely by the professional conduct panel, after a report concluded he "did not appear to sufficiently grasp that his actions... were wholly inappropriate".

The panel found proven that he made inappropriate comments, including inviting one of the two, known as Individual B, to "send him nude pictures of herself".

Other allegations it also found proven included that Kalnins asked her to give him a massage or words to that effect, made comments about sharing a shower and told her to delete messages.

Allegations that he sent Individual A inappropriate messages and told her to delete messages were found proven on the balance of probabilities.

Kalnins cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children's home in England, following a decision by Stuart Blomfield on behalf of the secretary of state.

Blomfield said the panel noted Kalnins was in a senior position to individuals that "had allowed him to be in a position to exploit their fears".

The teacher said he "deeply regretted any actions and words that had unintentionally caused harm", according to the TRA report.

He stated he would never "wittingly upset another person and genuinely believed at the time his comments were harmless flirting".

Kalnins denied allegations about him relating to individuals A and B were sexually motivated.

Blomfield stated that in his view it was necessary to impose a prohibition order "in order to maintain public confidence in the profession".

In this case, allowing a review period was not sufficient to achieve the aim of maintaining that confidence, he added.

Kalnins "has a right of appeal to the High Court within 28 days from the date he is given notice of this order", Blomfield said.

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