Former Wirral teacher could be barred from the profession for life

A former teacher at a Wirral school who was sent to prison over sexual activity with a child could be barred from the profession for life.

Richard Chipchase was convicted of four counts of sexual activity with a child in April 2021. He was formerly a Maths teacher at Woodchurch High School.

Chipchase was sentenced to 27 months in prison but served half of that time and has now been released from jail, a teacher misconduct panel was today told.

The panel will now decide whether Mr Chipchase should be barred from the teaching profession for life.

James Lloyd, representing the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA), recommended the hearing panel ask the Secretary of State for Education Gillian Keegan to sign a prohibition order due to the sustained and sexual nature of the past allegations.

A prohibition order is a lifetime ban on being a teacher though it can be open to review after no less than two years depending on the decision made by the panel.

Mr Lloyd said: “Anything short of that couldn’t secure the public interest” as well as public and pupil protection and “the security of the teaching profession.”

Chipchase was not present at the teacher’s misconduct hearing and didn’t send a representative but the panel decided to continue the hearing.

In emails ahead of the hearing, he said: “I hope you are not expecting me to attend a hearing because I will not be there”, adding “I have not wanted to have anything to do with this process.”

Chipchase said he had “no intention” to become a teacher again, and had previously thought that was not possible.

According to Mr Lloyd, Chipchase said: “The whole thing is a ridiculous waste of time”, accused them of wasting taxpayers money, and told the panel “to just bar me from teaching and move on.”

Chipchase became a maths teacher in 1997 and became head of Woodchurch High School’s maths department in 2008, the panel were told. In 2009, concerns were raised about his relationship with a pupil and he was given pre-disciplinary counselling.

In 2011, the school carried out an investigation resulting in Chipchase no longer being dismissed from the school. In 2020, a police investigation began after allegations were made by a former pupil.

This included allegations of sexual activity when she was 12 and Chipchase was later convicted on four counts in 2021.

Chipchase was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for ten years and has a Sexual Harm Prevention Order imposed for seven years.

If a decision to recommend a prohibition order is made, it will be published within two weeks of Chipchase being informed.