Scotland News
A former physics teacher whose sexually explicit OnlyFans profile was seen by school pupils has been struck off.
Kirsty Buchan, from Coatbridge in North Lanarkshire, posted pictures of herself using the pseudonym Jessica Jackrabbit, and described herself as a “good teacher gone bad” with a “sexy tight body”.
She advertised the paid-for page using Instagram, which pupils could see, after being cautioned by her headteacher about her “poor judgement” on social media use.
The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) found that Ms Buchan had failed to conceal her identity and profession, and that her behaviour lacked integrity.
Solicitor and presenting officer for the GTC, Gary Burton, said Ms Buchan had “used her profession as a selling tool”, appeared to have justified her actions in newspaper interviews and that Bannerman High School was “now synonymous with having an OnlyFans teacher”.
Ms Buchan, who resigned from her post in December 2022 following complaints, declined to appear at or give evidence to the hearing.
Headteacher Seonaidh Black told the hearing that Ms Buchan – a former pupil of the Baillieston school – was a “bubbly and enthusiastic” person who “wanted to do a good job”.
On a “couple of occasions”, Ms Black said Ms Buchan was not clear on boundaries with pupils – clarifying that she was not referring to any inappropriate relationships, but that Ms Buchan’s social media accounts were “open where pupils could access them”.
The headteacher said she addressed these issues with Ms Buchan through informal conversations. “I wanted to make sure it was nipped in the bud,” she said.
The hearing heard that in November 2022, Ms Buchan was signed off from work due to stresses in her personal life.
Later that month, Ms Black said a deputy headteacher showed her screenshots, either of Ms Buchan’s OnlyFans page or social media – she could not tell which.
She said her colleague told her these images had been seen by pupils in S5 or S6.
Senior male pupils later asked Ms Black “have you heard the news?” adding “look out for Jessica Jackrabbit”. Ms Black said it was “obvious everyone knew what was going on”.
The headteacher attempted to contact Ms Buchan following talks with HR, but was unsuccessful.
She said the following day, she received an email that appeared to have been written by a parent from a pupil’s email account, which included photos of Ms Buchan topless and in lingerie from her OnlyFans profile.
Around the same time, staff at the school were taking part in strikes over pupil behaviour. Ms Black said the timings of the revelations about Ms Buchan’s OnlyFans page were “coincidental or perhaps deliberate”.
She said: “The OnlyFans thing happened two days before teachers were on a picket line at the school gate.”
Ms Buchan submitted her resignation in December 2022, shortly before her sick line was due to expire.
“This along with the industrial action happening at the same time has had a huge impact on our school,” said the headteacher.
Ms Black said the school had tried to make sure young people felt “valued for who they are, not thinking everything is about what’s on show on social media”.
She said: “What doesn’t help is when your teacher is on a website where the content they are presenting has a pornographic element to it. We’re trying to say ‘this is what life is all about’ and the role model – the teacher – is countering what we’re trying to teach.”
Ms Black added it would be “a long time before the situation involving Kirsty is no longer talked about”.
The hearing heard that Ms Buchan had given a number of interviews to the Daily Record newspaper, where she said she was able to make £50,000 per year through OnlyFans.
In a video interview, played to the panel, she said it was “the definition of insanity” for her to be working long hours as a teacher when she could make more money to “sit on her behind”.
“If people have a problem then it’s because they can’t do it themselves,” she said.
The GTCS also heard evidence from investigating officer Hannah Oakley, who said members of the public could access a limited section of Ms Buchan’s OnlyFans profile without having to sign up or subscribe.
She said she herself was able to do this as there had been a number of press articles about Ms Buchan’s online activity which included screenshots of her OnlyFans profile name.
“I knew exactly what I was looking for and where I was looking for [it],” she said.
The GTCS found that all allegations against Ms Buchan had been proven and decided that she should be struck off on Monday afternoon.
Mr Burton said there had been “significant blurring between her private and her professional life”, that she had shown “zero insight into her conduct” and that she had failed to act as a role model.
He recommended that it should be two years before she can reapply for teacher registration.
Having carried out its own investigation into the matter, Glasgow City Council said: “The council has a code of conduct that all employees should adhere to and a teacher who has actively pursued a second income on this type of website brings their school, the council and their profession into disrepute.”
