David Blight, 59, an educator and former head of sixth form at Prudhoe Community High School has been banned from the classroom. He was discovered to have had a long-ago, inappropriate sexual relationship with a former pupil. Blight became a member of staff at Prudhoe Community High School in 1999. Over the course of his teaching career, he earned the respect of his profession.
Former Pupil A was the student whom Blight taught from 2009 through 2011. In 2011, he was promoted to head of sixth form, a post he remained in until his sacking in January 2022. The untoward behavior came to light following a Twitter exchange in 2016. This dramatic disclosure led to accusations of an improper relationship that occurred several times in November 2016.
An internal investigation by Prudhoe Community High School found gross misconduct. The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel described Blight’s behavior as having fallen “significantly short of the standards expected of the profession.” They went on to claim that his conduct was “grossly prejudicial” and “disgraced the profession.”
Despite his previous good history as a teacher, the TRA determined that Blight’s actions warranted a prohibition order, effectively banning him from teaching. He will likely seek to have the prohibition order lifted in after the mandated two-year review period. That review period currently ends in April 2027.
The case has brought to light serious issues surrounding the safety of at-risk students and the standards we expect our schools to abide by. The panel’s ruling emphasizes the seriousness of the need to maintain professional boundaries and the repercussions in not doing so.
