A 69-year-old teacher at a Midlands all-girls' school was dismissed following an incident in which he inadvertently revealed a history of inappropriate YouTube search terms during a geography lesson, a professional misconduct hearing has revealed.
James Hindson, a former church warden, was teaching secondary-age pupils at Moreton Hall School near Oswestry when, while using YouTube in class, his previous search history was displayed on a large screen. The exposed search terms contained references to teenagers in sexualised contexts, including phrases such as “twerking school teens,” “girls in thongs,” “teen bikini haul,” and “good teen sex.” These revelations shocked pupils present during the lesson.
Hindson admitted the searches had been made at home, expressing that he was “ashamed” of his behaviour and the harm it might have caused to students as well as the teaching profession’s reputation. The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel described his conduct as “sexually motivated,” with the majority of searches consistently focused on teenagers.
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During the hearing, the panel noted: “A reasonable person would consider the conduct found proven to be sexual in nature,” highlighting specific search terms such as “teens having sex,” “teens stripping,” and “good teen sex.”
He had worked at Moreton Hall School, a private boarding and day school for girls with fees up to £47,000, between 2012 and 2023, and resumed employment there in April 2025. The incident occurred on 7 May 2025. Following pupil reports, the school’s IT team reviewed Hindson’s Google account and confirmed the presence of the reported searches made between April 2021 and November 2023.
Hindson’s employment was terminated on the day of the incident, and the matter was referred to the TRA. During the proceedings, it was noted that he had voluntarily stepped down from roles involving children outside of his teaching duties, including church positions, and a character reference described him as “dependable and hardworking.”
Despite acknowledging his past positive contributions to education through involvement with projects such as the Field Studies Council and international work, the panel concluded that a prohibition order barring him from teaching indefinitely was appropriate. This measure prevents him from working in schools, sixth-form colleges, youth accommodations, or children’s homes across England and may be reviewed after two years.
The panel stated that while not all search terms were explicitly sexual, the recurring focus on teenagers in sexual contexts rendered the conduct inappropriate for a teacher and unacceptable to the public. Police investigations determined that his conduct did not meet the threshold for criminal charges, and there was no evidence to suggest that he had viewed indecent images of children.
This decision serves as a reminder of the high standards expected of educators, particularly when working with young people.