A former Plume Academy Vice Principal has been banned from teaching, after a Teacher misconduct panel found he developed an inappropriate relationship with a student.

Former Plume Vice Principal who'd been a teacher at the Academy for nineteen years, Nigel Brunt, 53, is banned from teaching indefinitely after the Teaching Regulation Agency heard there were 60,000 messages exchanged with the student within a three month period.

That is equivalent to over 650 messages a day.

Many messages were found to be inappropriate, with Brunt referring to the pupil (Pupil A) as "Beautiful", "Amazing, a "Special young lady" and "Granddaughter".

The allegations were made in March 2020, with Brunt dismissed from the Academy the following November.

Allegations included messages by Mr Brunt to Pupil A regarding her physical appearance, as well as messages of a sexual nature involving innuendo and attempted humour, including reference to "the one thing on a man that gets hard" and "bruises in bed". 

Multiple messages sent by Brunt referred to hugging or kissing Pupil A, with one message, sent February 4 2020, saying "r u coming over for a hug tonight?" and on February 11, 2020 saying "still haven't had that hug u owe me". 

He is described to have displayed "controlling" and "persuasive" behaviour towards Pupil A, requesting her to delete messages and "not tell your mum".

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On one or more occasions, Brunt requested to meet Pupil A outside the Academy and take her to his smallholding, with the panel finding that it was "more probable than not", that he had Pupil A at his smallholding by herself.

Mr Brunt denied the allegations that he made physical contact with Pupil A and that his conduct was sexually motivated, instead arguing the messages were "misguided attempts to offer support and reassurance to Pupil A".

The teacher misconduct panel concluded there to be a clear distinction between Mr Brunt's conduct being of a sexual nature and Mr Brunt's conduct being sexually motivated." adding that while select messages may be by their nature sexual, they saw "no evidence to justify that Mr Brunt intended to pursue a sexual relationship with Pupil A".

Despite this, the panel was satisfied that Mr Brunt was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct.

On July 26, 2024, Nigel Brunt was served with a prohibition order, meaning he is banned from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school and sixth form college in England,.

Brunt had been a teacher at Plume Academy since becoming a Head of Year in 2001, before taking on the position of Vice Principal in 2013.

In 2018, he became a designated person for child protection at the Academy.

Maldon Nub News have approached the Plume Academy for comment.