A FORMER Coniston teacher who was jailed for sex crimes involving a former pupil has now been banned from the country’s classrooms for life.

Mark Craster-Chambers, 56, who taught at John Ruskin School, Coniston, but left teaching in 2017 was jailed at Carlisle Crown Court in April last year for 18 months after being convicted of two offences of engaging in sexual activity while in a position of trust.

He was also placed on the sexual offenders register for ten years.

Now on the recommendation of a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) disciplinary panel Craster-Chambers, who still denies the offences, has received the life-time teaching ban.

In their findings the TRA panel say that despite his conviction and the sentence he received for the offences, Craster-Chambers 'strenuously maintained his position that he was not guilty'.

However, in recommending that he should be banned for life, the panel say they took into account the comments of the judge who imposed the jail sentence.

They say that as he passed sentence the judge told Craster-Chambers: “You knew that she was vulnerable. You knew that because of information that was shared with you in a professional capacity. You knew that because you were a daily visitor at her home.”

He continued: “That you engaged in sexual activity with a pupil who you knew to be vulnerable, was a gross breach of trust."

In many cases where teachers are banned the way is left open for them to seek to return to teaching after a set period of years.

But in this case the panel, in recommending a permanent ban said they had decided that in the circumstances of the case the ban should be “without provisions for a review period.”

Backing the views of the panel and imposing the ban on behalf of the Education Secretary, TRA decision maker, Alan Meyrick said: “The findings of misconduct are particularly serious as they include a finding of engaging in sexual activity while in a position of trust.”

He said it was a case where the serious nature of the convictions and the lack of full insight on the part of Craster-Chambers meant that it was necessary to impose a ban with no review period in order to maintain public confidence in the teaching profession.

Craster-Chambers is entitled to mount a High Court challenge to the decision.