Teacher banned for telling pupils about her nights out

A teacher has been banned from the classroom after she regaled pupils with tales about her nights out and arranged meetings during the school holidays.

Natasha Blackmore, 36, was the head of design technology at Westfield Academy in Yeovil, Somerset.

A misconduct hearing was told that Ms Blackmore regularly met with five pupils during breaks and lunchtime, where she discussed her nights out and her romantic relationships.

In one instance, she shared that she had been on a hen night with her friends, got drunk, smoked and vaped. 

Ms Blackmore regularly spent breaks with the group of students and was added to a group chat on Instagram with them.

She also invited the pupils to meet her new dog outside during the school holidays.

The pupils came to see her as 'a friend' rather than a teacher. 

A Teaching Regulation Agency professional conduct panel banned her from teaching indefinitely for 'unacceptable professional conduct'. 

During breaktimes, Ms Blackmore discussed her romantic relationships, told students about arguments and disagreements, and spoke about her sadness when she lost her dog and her joy at getting a new puppy.

Ms Blackmore also joined an Instagram group chat with the pupils, where they kept in touch over the summer. 

In an investigation by the school, one pupil said Ms Blackmore invited them to meet her new puppy in August 2024.

She invited the pupils to meet her at Yeovil Recreation Centre for a brief encounter where they could meet the puppy after a vet appointment.

The pupils admitted to creating the group chat for the purpose of meeting the dog.

In another instance, one pupil, named pupil A, said she stopped going to Ms Blackmore's classroom during breaks as she had 'consciously started to hang out with other people'.

One day, the teacher then quizzed her on where she has been and said: 'you ditched us for food when you could have had a nice conversation with us'.

Pupil A said it was 'almost as if I had to be there' during break times.

She later felt that 'Ms Blackmore was trying to get back at me for not seeing her'.

Pupil A said she had thought that it was all fine in the beginning, but it had developed into 'some kind of weird relationship' where they told each other 'everything'.

Ms Blackmore had asked the pupils if they had told anyone about their group, telling them she could get into trouble if they had. 

On December 5, 2024, a parent reported concerns to the headteacher, and an investigation began the following day.

In a meeting with the school, Ms Blackmore said the pupils came to her classroom during breaks so that 'they didn't have to go out in the cold.

She said the pupils had been supportive when her dog died, adding: 'If it hadn't been for those students and the support they showed me, I don't think I would have come back to work properly due to the way I was feeling.'

She admitted to having conversations about going on a hen night and getting drunk.

She also admitted to joining a group chat with pupils on Instagram and arranging for them to come and meet her dog at Yeovil Recreational Centre. 

She said she 'did not know what was going through her head' when she arranged the meeting, but said it was in a public place and she believed one of the children's mothers would be there. 

One parent said she was aware that Ms Blackmore had been chatting to the students on Instagram, including her son.

However she said Ms Blackmore had been a 'really good teacher' and was 'very supportive'.

A disciplinary hearing was held on March 11, 2025, and Ms Blackmore was dismissed from the school for gross misconduct. 

The panel said she failed to avoid 'personal organised contact with students outside of school hours'. 

The panel also noted that she was 'over friendly with children' and there was an indication that Ms Blackmore had 'favourites', given that there were a select group that spent their breaks in her classroom.

The report added: 'The panel was satisfied that the conduct of Blackmore amounted to misconduct of a serious nature which fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession. Accordingly, the panel was satisfied that Blackmore was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct.'

She is banned indefinitely, but can apply to have this reviewed after two years.