Wigan teacher who ‘chatted to pupils about sex toys’ struck off | Manchester News

A high school teacher who held graphic conversations with her pupils about sex toys, orgasms and sex acts during an English lesson has been banned from the classroom.

Kathryn Matthews was struck off after pupils at The Westleigh School in Wigan, Greater Manchester, told another member of staff what she had said.

Matthews, who had been working at the school for two months, was suspended by the school in November 2023 and referred to the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA).

The 43-year-old claimed her students had “colluded” to get her in trouble but a TRA panel concluded she had held “sexual and inappropriate” conversations including ones about “gay sex” and “masturbation”.

In a written ruling published this week, the panel concluded that, during a lesson, Matthews had told a story about a boy injuring himself on a sex toy, and had spoken about pornography.

Her behaviour was reported after two pupils discussed it while walking with a pastoral member of staff.

The pupils told the witness Matthews held similar conversations regularly and she was seen as “more like a friend than a teacher”.

After the conversation was reported, pupils in the class were asked to give a written statement in the deputy head teacher’s office and told not to discuss the case.

One pupil wrote: “Most of the, class including the teacher, started talking about sexual things for about 10 minutes and the teacher was explaining things about it and telling stories (sexual) of what she had heard, and she was telling the whole class about it.”

The panel heard Matthews had “expressed confusion” when confronted with the allegations and suggested that a group of pupils in the year group often “targeted others” while colluding “to ensure their stories held up”.

However the panel said the evidence showed that most of the pupils liked Matthews and enjoyed her lessons, and would be unlikely to target her in such a way.

It also said the school had “gathered extensive evidence” and that statements from pupils were consistent.

The ruling said Matthews’ misconduct was “extremely serious” and inappropriate for a professional environment “on any analysis”.

“The panel found that the manner and tone of these conversations between a teacher and pupils would have been seriously inappropriate in any lesson, including one focused on sex education,” it added.

The panel’s ruling means Matthews is banned from working as a teacher.

She is allowed to ask for a review of the decision after a minimum of two years.