Private school teacher defends giving pupil books containing sex, nudity and drugs pictures saying A-level students are 'young adults'

A private school teacher has defended giving a 'very vulnerable' pupil books containing sex, nudity and pictures of drugs. Fiona Simpson, who taught A-level photography at £51,552-a-year Burlington House School, argued they 'are not primary school children; they are young adults'. The school, located in Fulham, west London , caters to pupils with special educational needs and boasts of teaching 'tailored to the individual'. Ms Simpson, who worked part-time at the school between November 2022 and March 2023, said she did not 'believe in censoring the arts'.

The books provided to Pupil B were Diary by Corinne Day and Emotions and Relations, with a witness spotting a sticky note with the child's first initial on one of the books. Inside the books were images of drug use, oral sex, a naked man, as well as a blood-splattered bedroom. Ms Simpson argued to a Teaching Regulation Agency panel that pupils 'should definitely know about the history of photography and the key figures within it.' However, despite the panel describing her explanation as 'misguided', the photography teacher avoided a ban from the profession.

The panel said the use of the artists was not inherently inappropriate, but that the concern 'is about the apparent disregard for the needs of a vulnerable pupil'. It added that there was no evidence to suggest there was 'any material supervision, support or contextualisation' in the research to these 'highly graphic images'. Fiona Simpson (pictured) has defended giving a 'very vulnerable' pupil books containing sex, nudity and pictures of drugs Ms Simpson, who taught A-level photography at £51,552-a-year Burlington House School (pictured), argued they 'are not primary school children; they are young adults'. 'It ought to have been readily apparent to Ms Simpson that providing this material in such an unstructured fashion to a vulnerable pupil came with significant risk to their wellbeing. 'There was no suggestion that Ms Simpson gave any consideration to this risk or explored how it might be best to approach such sensitive imagery with other professional colleagues.'

Ms Simpson, who began working at the independent SEN school in November 2022, was found to have tapped the pupil on the bottom with a book or magazine. CCTV footage showed her swinging the item towards the pupil as they walked ahead of her, the panel wrote. She said the contact was unintentional and was a gesture encouraging the pupil to return to class. But the panel concluded the contact was 'inappropriate' and 'entirely unwarranted'.

She also took an unwell pupil to a cafe during school hours, which the panel ruled was a safeguarding failure. Burlington House School dismissed Ms Simpson during her probationary period in March 2023 and referred her to the TRA that June. After a hearing in October 2026, the panel found Ms Simpson guilty of unacceptable professional conduct. But it recommended that she should not be banned from teaching, saying her misconduct was at the 'lower possible end of the spectrum'.

The panel said there was no evidence Ms Simpson had developed insight into her behaviour and warned there was a risk it could be repeated. But it concluded that publishing its findings would alert any employers to the risks and allow schools to put appropriate supervision in place. It was also heard that Ms Simpson was previously found guilty at West London Magistrates Court for drink driving on October 22, 2021. She was also found guilty at the same court for assault by beating of an emergency worker on July 17, 2023.