A primary school teacher who asked young girls in his class to go on dates and engaged in a series of boundary-crossing behaviors has been banned from the profession for life. Carl Dixon, 62, was found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct following a hearing by the Teaching Regulation Agency.
The panel heard evidence that Dixon sent secret, personalized notes to students, touched a child’s bottom, and pressured pupils into physical contact while working at a school in northeast London between 2017 and 2020.
The conduct panel detailed a disturbing pattern of behavior where Dixon attempted to circumvent school oversight. He reportedly invited children to secret lunch meetings and instructed them to hide their movements.
The investigation also revealed that Dixon had been fundamentally dishonest during his recruitment process in 2018. When applying for his position, he falsely claimed he had never been identified by police or children’s services as a potential risk to children, a statement the panel found to be a deliberate misrepresentation.
Specific allegations involving multiple students were found proven on the balance of probabilities. Witnesses and students described how Dixon would stick notes to the back of books and later dispose of them to avoid detection.
In one instance, a school assistant’s notes corroborated that two girls reported being asked on dates by the teacher. Furthermore, the panel found evidence of sexually motivated conduct, including the inappropriate touching of a student and using the promise of a class party reward to pressure a child into a hug.
Dixon resigned from his post in January 2020 and was formally dismissed earlier this year. In its final judgment, the panel noted that his refusal to take responsibility for his actions suggested a significant risk of repetition.
Due to the severe nature of his “inappropriate and sexually motivated” behavior, the agency determined that he should be prohibited from teaching indefinitely without the possibility of a future review.