A TEACHER at a prestigious fee-paying boarding school who had sex with a pupil multiple times has been struck off.

Dr Howard Britton, 64, kissed the then 18-year-old Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate student - named only as Pupil A - at his home after her final school examination.

The pair then engaged in a sexual relationship and had sex on at least three occasions, a misconduct panel heard.

The National College for Teaching and Leadership panel was told the relationship came months after Dr Britton began exchanging flirty text messages with the pupil.

It also heard that during the academic year, he accepted the pupil’s number, exchanged flirtatious and sexual text messages, discussed meeting her outside of school and invited her to his home.

Dr Britton also held Pupil A’s hand under a desk while they were both in a classroom together.

After the girl left the school, she had sex with Dr Britton over the next four weeks on at least three occasions, the misconduct panel heard.

Pupil A gave evidence that she believed she was deeply in love with Dr Britton and thought they had a future.

She said in evidence she initiated the flirtatious text messages with Dr Britton and he had responded.

He claimed he replied “in order to frighten her off” as he believed she was pursuing a campaign of sexual harassment against him.

He also indicated throughout the hearing he was acting under duress as he felt trapped by Pupil A’s actions - but the panel did not accept this explanation.

Dr Britton stopped teaching after the relationship ended due to his “disgust” at his behaviour, the panel heard.

He told a hearing Pupil A had left the school by the time they became sexually intimate.

However, the panel found the relationship had escalated while she was still a pupil.

Dr Britton admitted the majority of the allegations - but insisted his communication with the girl had not been “sexually motivated”.

He has now been banned indefinitely from the classroom.

The National College for Teaching and Leadership panel heard other students would be at “some risk of the repetition of this behaviour”.

The panel said: “Dr Britton failed to understand the relationship between them was not one of equals and he abused his position of trust by entering into flirtatious text messages with Pupil A while still a pupil at the school, and ultimately by having sexual intercourse with her shortly after her final exam at the school.”