A teacher from North London has been handed a lifetime prohibition from the classroom after he used his school's internal computer system to send sexual communications to a student.
A Serious Breach of Trust
David Polden, 35, engaged in the inappropriate messaging with a pupil over a five-year period, using Parliament Hill School's own intranet network. The all-girls school in Camden, where Polden worked, discovered the message thread, leading to his arrest on 6 May 2021.
Polden had been employed as a teacher at the school from 1 September 2018 until 20 October 2021, having previously worked there as an agency staff member between September 2017 and July 2018.
Court Conviction and Sentencing
The former educator was found guilty of engaging in sexual communication with a child at Wood Green Crown Court on 13 February 2023. He avoided an immediate prison term but received a six-month jail sentence, suspended for 24 months.
In addition to the suspended sentence, the court imposed several other penalties:
- Placement on the Sex Offenders Register for seven years.
- A victim surcharge of £128.
- Completion of 100 hours of unpaid work.
- Attendance on an accredited programme for 35 days.
- Undertaking rehabilitation activity requirements for up to 30 days.
Lifetime Teaching Ban and Lack of Remorse
A professional conduct panel later convened and on 2 December last year, barred Polden from teaching indefinitely. The panel's decision was notably influenced by the absence of any demonstrated remorse or insight from Polden regarding his actions.
The official ruling stated: “The panel considered there was no evidence before it that Mr Polden had shown remorse or insight into his actions and there was no evidence considering the impact Mr Polden’s actions had or may have had on the child in this case.”
It further emphasised that his conduct was a direct breach of his position of trust, noting the offence was “clearly relevant to Mr Polden’s role and position of trust as a teacher.”
School's Response and Safeguarding Pledge
Sarah Creasey, Headteacher at Parliament Hill School, expressed the profound impact of the case on the school community. She affirmed the institution's commitment to robust safeguarding procedures, which led to the swift identification of the incident.
“We take safeguarding extremely seriously, so this case was deeply upsetting for our school community,” Creasey said. “The staff member’s conduct represented a serious breach of trust and professional standards. The incident was quickly identified through our robust safeguarding procedures, and we fully cooperated with the police investigation.”
The case underscores the critical importance of safeguarding protocols in educational settings and the severe professional consequences for those who exploit their position of authority.
