Dunstable teacher banned from profession for serious sexual misconduct with pupil
Mr Robert Keith, 33, has been banned from classrooms by the teaching regulation agency after he was found to have had a sexually inappropriate relationship with student
Last updated 11th Feb 2025
A teacher who developed an inappropriate, sexually motivated relationship with a pupil in Dunstable has been banned from the profession indefinitely.
The decision, by a professional conduct panel, found Mr. Robert Keith’s actions not only breached professional standards but also posed a significant safeguarding risk.
The panel determined that between September 2013 and November 2016, while employed at All Saints Academy in Dunstable, Mr. Robert Keith was an English teacher.
Pupil A was in his group, where she and Pupil B formed a close connection with Mr. Keith. After completing their exams, they made plans to meet during the summer of 2014. There were various communications through social media, electronic messages, and in-person interactions. However, in December 2015, Pupil A disclosed to her mother that something had occurred between her and Mr. Keith, prompting the mother to report the incident to the School. A police investigation was subsequently launched, and they found Mr Keith ,had engaged in a series of inappropriate actions with Pupil A.
These actions included sending sexually explicit messages, in a Facebook Messenger group called “Convos with Keith”. In this chat he making suggestive comments, and invited the pupil to his home. In his police interview, Mr Keith accepted that he, Pupil A and Pupil B, made plans to watch TV together at his house. She described that at the end of July 2014, Mr Keith collected her and Pupil B from a car park and drove them to his house, where they spent the afternoon. The account she gave was detailed and consistent with her account in her police interview in 2016.
The relationship escalated over time and included physical touching. Pupil A gave evidence to the panel that shortly before 3 July 2014, she and Mr Keith spoke about having sex, and formed a plan to do so. Her account was supported by the screenshots of messages, which included Mr Keith sending a message asking “If we had sex what would you do? To put it bluntly”.
Mr. Keith admitted in his police interview that he exchanged inappropriate messages with the pupil, but suggested any sexual messages he sent to Pupil A were "jokes".
The panel found Mr. Keith’s behaviour "akin to grooming" and concluded that his misconduct caused significant harm to the pupil, who gave evidence about the emotional toll his actions took on her. Despite some admissions during his police interview, Mr. Keith denied other allegations, but the panel was satisfied with the evidence, including screenshots of the communications between Mr. Keith and the pupil.
In light of the findings, the panel recommended that Mr. Keith should be the subject of a prohibition order, with no provision for a review period.
The panel noted that Mr. Keith had shown no remorse or insight into his actions, leading to concerns that he could repeat the behaviour in the future.
The Secretary of State’s decision follows the panel’s recommendation and emphasises the importance of maintaining public confidence in the teaching profession. It was concluded that Mr. Keith’s actions had undermined public trust and put pupils at risk. As a result, he is prohibited from teaching indefinitely in any school, sixth form college, or children’s home in England.
The panel’s report highlighted the importance of safeguarding pupils and maintaining high standards of ethics and behaviour for teachers. "The evidence demonstrated that Mr. Keith was aware of his safeguarding duties but deliberately took action in breach of those duties," the report said.
As part of the decision, the Secretary of State also agreed with the panel that no review period should be allowed due to the serious nature of Mr. Keith’s misconduct and the lack of any meaningful reflection or insight. This means that Mr. Keith cannot reapply to return to teaching in the future.
Mr. Keith has the right to appeal the decision within 28 days.
When asked about their investigation, Bedfordshire police say a man in his 20s was arrested on suspicion of causing or inciting a child under 16 to engage in sexual activity.
An investigation took place and he was released with no further action.