A female music teacher at a boarding school had sex with a pupil in her home and performed oral sex on them in her car, a teacher misconduct panel heard.
Michelle Parry, now 42, also sent sexually explicit nude photos of herself to the student.
She has been banned from teaching after numerous allegations from two former pupils emerged.
It all came to light when the former students, who will remain anonymous, met up years later in 2021 and discussed their experiences with Parry.
The pair made referrals to the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) conduct panel in January 2022 and, following a review of the evidence, the panel found Parry guilty of unacceptable professional conduct and she was struck off.
A female music teacher called Michelle Parry (pictured) had sex with a pupil in her home and performed oral sex on them in her car, a teacher misconduct panel heard
Parry, who taught at £37,000-a-year Culford School in Bury St Edmonds, was previously employed at the Hadleigh High School from 2005 to 2010, and Suffolk One Sixth form college 2010-2011.
Known as Michelle Rande at the time of the incidents, which took place more than 10 years ago, she is alleged to have had an ongoing sexual relationship with one of the pupils.
During the hearing, which was held virtually from November 29 to December 1, Parry was not present or represented.
The panel heard that between 2009 and 2012, she failed to maintain professional boundaries with Person A by inviting them to her home on many occasions for social events and parties, where alcohol was drunk.
Parry also bestowed gifts onto them, which became larger and more expensive, paid for meals and drinks and, on one occasion, for a hotel on a trip away that was not related to a school musical event.
During private lessons, the teacher kissed Person A in April 2010 after talking about personal matters and touching them in a ‘lingering’ way.
The panel was told Parry sent text and social media messages to Person A that were flirtatious to begin with, but became more sexually explicit, including nude photos and romantic messages.
Between April 2010 and March 2012, Parry had a sexual relationship with person A, and that between April 2010 and July 2010, Parry performed oral sex on the student in her car.
Parry worked at £37,000-a-year Culford School in Bury St Edmonds (pictured)
The teacher and pupil had sex in her home, and other locations if they were staying away with each other, over a number of months.
The hearing was told that, after the relationship ended, Parry asked Person A to delete all messages between them, saying: ‘You could get me in a lot of trouble.
‘You could end my life and my career at any point. I have changed everything about my life so that I could be with you and now have nothing.’
Person A said they felt trapped and controlled by the situation.
It was also alleged that, between 2009 and 2011, she failed to maintain professional boundaries with another pupil, Person B.
The panel heard how Parry invited Person B to her home, gave them alcohol and gifts, as well as engaging in chats about personal matters and sending overly familiar texts or social media messages.
Person B said they felt confused about whether the interaction was with a friend or a teacher.
The hearing received evidence from both Person A and Person B whose individual accounts, including screenshots of messages with a now-deleted Facebook account alleged to be Parry’s, were found to corroborate one another.
The panel found that the allegations of failure to maintain appropropirate professional boundaries with Person A were proved in full and that it was ‘more likely than not’ that the sexual relationship occurred, and therefore found these allegations proved.
Allegations of failure to maintain appropropirate professional boundaries with Person B were also proved in full.
From the evidence, the panel ruled that Parry was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct and that her actions constituted conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute.
They said the findings were ‘particularly serious’ as they include sexually motivated misconduct.
The panel also heard she had been warned several times about her conduct with pupils, social media contact and end of year student parties at her home.
The panel said: ‘The public expects teachers not to abuse the trust that is placed in them to exploit relationships with pupils for their own personal benefit.’
Parry was banned from teaching indefinitely and, due to the the seriousness of the allegations proved against her, she cannot apply for restoration of her eligibility to teach.
It was also alleged that on April 6, 2022, Parry sent a message Person A and Person B when she should have known that a referral had been made to the TRA and that contacting them would be inappropriate.
The message said: ‘I am sorry more than you will ever know for the way I behaved.
‘I could give you a list of all the reasons as to what led me to behave in such a way, but that might be seen as excusing it.
‘Know that I have felt sorry every day of my life since and I will never forgive myself. You deserved better.’
Parry had been notified of the TRA’s referral that same day and, while the panel considered the messages may have been misguided, in the absence guidance given to her not to contact any potential witnesses, they found them to be no more than Parry expressing her remorse and said it did not amount to an inappropriate contact.