RE teacher struck off after leaving wife for pupil he married and had kids with

A religious education teacher has been struck off after forming an inappropriate relationship with a student who he is now married to with kids.

Gavin Dunsmuir, 50, was found to have been seeing Meghan Reid in 2015 when she was either 17 or 18 and gave her the nickname Meg Mog. She is now 25.

He had developed a relationship with the pupil who was around than half his age while he was employed at Largs Academy in North Ayrshire, Scotland, before breaking it off with his wife.

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The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) launched an investigation into the couple and have confirmed Dunsmuir has been removed from the teaching register.

They found that Dunsmuir formed an inappropriate relationship with Reid by attending a pub with her and other former pupils, reports The Mirror.

They also found that he had taken Reid to a colleague's home and spent time with her with his daughter.

On making their decision, the GTCS today said: "The panel has found that the teacher's conduct falls significantly short of the standards expected of a registered teacher and he is therefore unfit to teach.

"The panel must direct that his name be removed from the register of teachers."

The GTCS has been investigating Dunsmuir since 2018 – with the hearing reconvening this week to hear further evidence from a former colleague and Reid's father.

Giving evidence yesterday Donald Reid, 62, said: "I am very distressed about the situation.

"I would like to make it clear that I only found out via a fourth party. I saw two cards in her room, one was a birthday card and one was for leaving school.

"She had gotten cards from other teachers which were appropriate, the one which was not appropriate was from Mr Dunsmuir.

"He had referred to her as Meg Mog [in the card].

• 

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"I telephoned Heather Burns [Largs Academy headteacher] and made my feelings clear, she confirmed that the teacher under investigation was allegedly involved with Megan.

"She said the reason I had not been informed was because Megan was over 16, I felt that I was and still am Megan's father and to find out via tittle tattle I thought was poor."

He added: "Her mother had made it clear that she is not happy with the situation but does not want to lose her daughter."

The GTCS also heard from Pauline Hughes, former principal teacher of R.E at Largs Academy, who said: "I recall that the viewing panel of the door had been covered up with a flag.

"It had been pinned over the glass. I entered the room and it was very clear I had interrupted them.

"They were sitting across the table with their heads going into one another.

"I just didn't want to think anything untoward was happening – I was wrong, I should have been proactive and got the wee girl out of there."

The couple's relationship came to light after they were spotted in Lounge pub in Largs, North Ayrshire, by a fellow teacher.

Dunsmuir did not attend any part of the hearing or arrange legal representation on his behalf.

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