Former headteacher and Bourne Town Juniors football coach James Shawley is banned from teaching

A headteacher has been banned from teaching for life after sexting and arranging to meet someone he thought was a 14-year-old boy.

James Shawley, who lived in Bourne and was a Bourne Town Juniors football coach, was jailed for four-and-a-half years in 2021 after being caught in a sting operation by a covert police officer posing as a child.

Now Shawley, the former head of St Bartholomew Primary School in West Pinchbeck, cannot teach in any school, college, children’s home or youth accommodation after a prohibition order has been made by the secretary of state for education following the advice of the Teaching Regulation Authority.

David Oatley, who made the decision on behalf of the secretary of state, has refused to allow the order to be reviewed.

His report says: “These elements are the very serious nature of the offences of which Mr Shawley was convicted, the lack of full insight and remorse, and the damage to the public’s perception of the teaching profession.

“I consider therefore that allowing for no review period is necessary to maintain public confidence and is proportionate and in the public interest.

“This means that Mr James Shawley is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England.

“Furthermore, in view of the seriousness of the allegations found proved against him, I have decided that Mr Shawley shall not be entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach.”

Shawley, formerly of Hereward Street, Bourne, had denied two charges of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and further charges of attempting to engage in sexual activity with a child and attempting to facilitate or arrange a child sex offence. The charges related to dates between December 8 and 23, 2019.

He was found guilty by a jury in 2021 at the end of a three-day trial.

Shawley was placed on the sex offenders register for life and barred from working with children for life. He was also given a 15-year sexual harm prevention order.

A Teaching Regulation Authority panel of three people made a recommendation to the secretary of state in October that a prohibition order should be imposed with immediate effect.

The report states: “Mr Shawley was an experienced teacher and leader who was in a position of trust and responsibility.

“He was also a role model.

“He had fallen far short of the standards expected of him in that regard.”

It also went onto say: “Mr Shawley's actions were fundamentally incompatible with his being a teacher.

“This was conduct at the serious end of the spectrum. The nature and gravity of these offences was a matter of significant concern.”