Dagenham primary school teacher banned from classroom for life over child sex offence
Daniel Duhig was convicted of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child
A former primary school teacher from Dagenham has been banned from the classroom for life after being convicted of attempting to sexually communicate with a child.
Daniel Duhig, who taught at Godwin Primary School, was prohibited from teaching indefinitely following a Teaching Regulation Agency panel meeting.
The 29-year-old cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children's home in England, and he cannot apply to have the ban reviewed.
What happened
Duhig started work as a Year 2 class teacher at the school in September 2023, completing one term of his early career teacher induction.
He was arrested on 8th January 2024 over offences relating to communicating inappropriately with a child, after his involvement on a dating app.
The school was informed by police and Duhig was placed on garden leave, before being dismissed on 2nd May 2024.
The conviction
On 15th April 2025, Duhig pleaded guilty to and was convicted of one offence of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, contrary to the Criminal Attempts Act 1981.
A court extract showed the offence took place on 28th December 2023.
On 19th May 2025, he was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for 18 months, along with a rehabilitation activity requirement and 100 hours of unpaid work.
He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register and required to register with police for seven years, and was ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £154 and prosecution costs of £85.
Panel findings
The panel found that Duhig's conviction was for a relevant offence and that his behaviour was fundamentally incompatible with being a teacher.
The panel said his actions raised "obvious and significant public and child protection concerns".
It noted there was "little evidence" of insight into the wider impact of his offending, and concluded the risk of him committing similar offences in the future was high.
The panel also noted concerns had previously been raised about Duhig maintaining professional boundaries with pupils during his first term, which led to him being placed on a support plan.
Deciding to impose a lifetime ban with no review period, decision maker David Oatley, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for Education, said: "It is necessary to impose a prohibition order in order to maintain public confidence in the profession."
Duhig has a right of appeal to the High Court within 28 days.