Teacher 'took pupil on a camping trip and told her he loved her'

A grammar school teacher who took a pupil out on a camping trip and told her he loved her has been banned from the profession. Simon Mumford, a "highly regarded" physics teacher and former head of department at Clitheroe Royal Grammar School, was found to have had an inappropriate relationship with the pupil. However, the Teaching Regulation Authority (TRA) found no evidence that the teacher's actions were sexually motivated, LancsLive reports.

Mr Mumford took the pupil on an out of school camping trip, kissed her on the cheek, put his arm around her and told her he loved her. A misconduct hearing heard that in 2021, the pupil kept a private diary in which she described Mr Mumford as "the best teacher ever". But she said: "I cannot deal with being his surrogate daughter.

" READ MORE: 'Bomber' brothers in notorious gang 'The Family' fall out over luxury property At the time of the allegations, Mr Mumford was having emotional difficulties, which he shared with the pupil. The youngster was struggling with issues at home which could sometimes be a distraction to her learning. During the 2020 lockdown, the teacher suggested the youngster should visit Priests Hole Cave in the Lake District , and later arranged an overnight trip there in his camper van.

The girl's parents agreed to the trip, however the hearing heard it was not authorised as an out of school activity. On June 18 to June 19, 2021, the pair met with a third person at the cave and spent the night there. The girl said he.