A FORMER Midsomer Norton teacher has been struck off after he arranged to meet a child alone and exchanged inappropriate ‘Lady and the Tramp’ text messages while he worked as a scout leader.

Shawn Kendall has been permanently banned from the profession after a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) misconduct hearing found him guilty of “unacceptable professional conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute.”

Kendall, who taught English at Norton Hill School, sent “personal or over-familiar” text messages to a child, suggested meeting a child outside of the Scouts Association, and was alone with a child in a car on more than one occasion between July and August 2022.

A report of the outcome of the professional conduct meeting stated: “Mr Kendall admitted that he gave Child A ‘lifts’ home from their meeting point for the Scouts, although Mr Kendall stated that this was with the ‘full knowledge and understanding of the parents’.”

The report also referred to screenshots of over familiar text messages between Kendall and the child, describing them similar to “Lady and the Tramp.”

My Kendell messaged the child: “…My dream day would probably be a lazy morning of cuddles..” before adding: “...We’d try lots of different food and things before going back to the hotel…probably have to wait until you are at uni, but I’m game if you are.”

The report concluded: “The panel also considered the written submissions of Mr Kendall, in which he described his regret, guilt and self-loathing over his behaviour and the impact that it has had.

“Mr Kendall stated that the behaviour in giving ‘lifts’ on a one-to-one basis was not abnormal within his scouting group, and that he had experienced the same thing when he was a young leader. Notwithstanding this, Mr Kendall acknowledged that the training he received as a teacher should have overwritten the influence of this ‘culture’.

"Mr Kendall submitted that he has now begun a new career, and that he poses no risk 'now or in the future'.

“The panel acknowledged Mr Kendall’s regret in respect of his actions. However, the panel found that Mr Kendall showed little insight as regards the effect or potential effect of his actions on the child.

“I have also placed considerable weight on the finding that ‘the panel was of the view that Mr Kendall ought to have appreciated the potential impact of his actions’.”

The BBC reported how the Scouts Association said Mr Kendall had "betrayed the trust" of the organisation.

The school's headteacher, Gordon Green, told the BBC the incidents happened within Mr Kendall's role as a scout leader and there is "no indication of any such behaviour during his time at our school". 

Mr Kendall was excluded from The Scouts Association on January 10, 2023, six months after he told the school he had been suspended.

The school held its own investigation and then suspended Mr Kendall on March 6, 2023 and he resigned the following month.