A teacher who had previously joked about being in the SAS has been banned from classrooms. William Sharkey was head of religious studies at Lymm High School between October 2020 and January 2022 before he was banned.
A Department for Education (DoE) panel claimed Sharkey was guilty of "serious" dishonesty, including lying to students and staff at Byranston School, in Dorset, about serving in the SAS and being shot twice. He had maintained the claim since he had studied in university, according to CheshireLive.
Sharkey worked at the school for five months before he was dismissed in February 2016 for allowing a female pupil to enter his home alone with him. When he applied for the job at Lymm High School, he omitted that he had worked and been fired from Bryanston School. Instead, he claimed he had been Lecturer of Moral and Political Philosophy and Political Economics between September 2012 and December 2016 at a university. He had worked at the university but only for six months as a part-time lecturer.
But while at Lymm High School, Sharkey initiated an email conversation with a "vulnerable" female pupil during the summer holidays. The DoE panel said the emails were "over-familiar in nature".
Commenting on the content of his emails, the panel's report stated: "This included the phrase 'Stay awesome', 'Hahahahahahhaa!!!', the use of emojis, sharing information regarding trips he had taken and a book that he was reading. His communications blurred the boundaries and risked the pupil misinterpreting the nature of the communications."
Sharkey's behaviour was revealed when a teacher at another secondary school expressed concerns that he was working at Lymm High School, despite being dismissed from Bryanston School. When Sharkey was questioned about his dismissal during a formal investigation he again omitted that a student had attended his home alone with him.
The report continues: "Dr Sharkey stated that it [his dismissal] related to not having placed all of his jobs on his application form, and that he had made a silly joke about working in the SAS and a fuss had been made about it. He stated that Dr Sharkey had not told him that there were any issues regarding a pupil being alone with him in his accommodation."
Sharkey admitted all the facts alleged against him and that he was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct and conduct that may bring the teaching professional into disrepute
The report did add that there was "no evidence of any malicious or sinister intent on the part of Dr Sharkey".
Sarah Buxcey, in her decision on behalf of the Secretary of State for Education, said: “Dr Sharkey’s acts of dishonesty were serious given that such behaviours were exhibited over a period of over 5 years and the lack of either insight or remorse.
“I consider therefore that a five-year review period is required to satisfy the maintenance of public confidence in the profession. This means that Dr William Sharkey is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England. He may apply for the prohibition order to be set aside, but not until 2 June 2028, 5 years from the date of this order at the earliest”
A spokesperson for Bryanston School said: "The prompt and decisive action taken by Bryanston to terminate the employment of Dr Sharkey just a few months after his appointment is evidence of the school’s robust policy for any breach of recruitment regulations and its strict safeguarding procedures.
"Although the report from the Teaching Regulation Agency confirmed there was no reason to suspect malicious or sinister intent on the part of Dr Sharkey, we provided every assistance to the agency’s professional conduct panel to ensure its deliberations were fully informed. In light of his continuing dishonesty and disregard of accepted procedures and regulations, we concur with the panel’s conclusions."
Lymm High School declined to comment.
