“She developed romantic feelings towards a student over whom she had authority and expressed these feelings through the transmission of sexually explicit photographs.”
A teacher has been permanently excluded from the teaching profession for sending explicit images of herself to a student, stating that she wanted to share “all of me” with him.
Megan Lanning, 36, acknowledged that she sent two explicit images to a student, known only as Pupil A, while she worked as a performing arts and music teacher at a private school for children with learning disabilities in Rochester, Kent.
During a private hearing in Coventry, West Midlands, it was disclosed that one photo depicted her topless and the other featured her covering her genitals with her hand in a suggestive pose. Lanning confirmed she neither requested nor received any photos in return from the student.
The panel deemed the images “inherently sexual in nature” and found that Lanning had formed an inappropriate relationship with the student, according to a report by the Mirror.
Lanning began her tenure at Ripplevale School and College, where tuition can reach up to £45,000 annually, in January 2018. By February 2024, she had informed the school’s safeguarding team of her “inappropriate feelings” towards Pupil A.
In an email, she confessed to having extensive phone conversations and exchanges over social media with the student, during which she sent the inappropriate images. She recounted that they had spent considerable time discussing their mutual feelings.
In a personal statement, Lanning expressed how entangled she felt with the student, stating, “I remember at the time I just wanted to give [them] all of me and wanted [them] to think I was amazing.”
She admitted her actions were unprofessional and expressed disgust and repulsion at her own behavior, fearing constant public exposure in the media.
Panel chair Alan Wells commented, “Miss Lanning was evidently seeking a type of relationship or sexual satisfaction. She had developed romantic feelings towards a student, over whom she had authority, and acted on these feelings by sending sexually explicit photos.”
He added that Lanning’s actions constituted “serious misconduct” which greatly deviated from the expected standards of the profession.
The hearing further revealed that Lanning was tormented by her actions, feeling sick at the thought of what she had done, and adamant that she would never consider such behavior again, describing the aftermath as “so hard to bear.”
Wells reiterated, “The actions of Miss Lanning were seriously inappropriate and fell well below the professional standards, especially given the sexually motivated nature of her actions towards a student.”
Lanning has been indefinitely barred from teaching in England, with no possibility of reapplying for her teaching credentials. Marc Cavey, speaking on behalf of education secretary Bridget Phillipson, emphasized the detrimental impact her actions could have on the profession’s reputation and ruled out any chance for her reinstatement in teaching roles.
Hi, I’m Benjamin, a member of the Sherburne County Citizen team. With a passion for writing and a deep interest in current affairs, I thoroughly enjoy bringing you the latest news and trends that affect our daily lives.
