Maths teacher banned from teaching for life

A former South London school teacher Daniel Ata-Baah has been banned from teaching for life after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting a girl aged under 13, My London has reported

Ata-Baah was a mathematics teacher at City of London Academy in Southwark. He had started working at the school on 1 January 2018 and in March that year, an allegation was made against him of committing a sexual offence. He was immediately suspended and resigned on 9 November 2018. In November 2024, he was convicted at Croydon Crown Court of one count of assaulting a girl under 13 by touch.

Ata-Baah was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment, suspended for 24 months.

At a panel conducted by the Teaching Regulation Agency, the panel noted that Ata-Baah had asked a child to sit on his lap, then “touched her breasts over her clothing for his own sexual gratification”. A witness also gave evidence that they saw his “erect penis” under his clothing while the incident was happening.

The panel considered several factors regarding whether the education secretary should impose a banned on him being able to teach. They indicated that he breached the following standards expected of teachers: upholding the public trust in the profession and showing proper and professional regard for the school's ethos, policies, and practices. It also noted that his actions were “clearly deliberate”.

It also took into account what effect a prohibition order would have on Ata-Baah and found no evidence that he had ‘exceptionally high standards in his personal and professional conduct or that he had contributed significantly to the education sector’. The panel also noted no evidence that this incident was ‘out of character’.

Last month, the panel concluded that a prohibition order would be appropriate. Ata-Baah is now prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation, or children’s home in England.