Kieran Atter admitted to having a sexual interest in children as well as engaging in sexualised conversations with others about them. He’s now been banned from teaching indefinitely
A former teacher at a Bromley school has been struck off the teaching register after being convicted of making and distributing indecent images of children.
Science teacher Kieran Atter admitted to accessing indecent images of children—a number of them in the most serious category—using Twitter, saving images on his phone and sharing them with others while employed as a teacher at the Hayes School, a secondary school in Hayes, South East London.
The 35-year-old worked at Hayes School between August 30, 2022 and February 9, 2023, leaving his job 14 days before he was convicted of five sexual offences, having been arrested on January 5, 2023.
In May 2024, Atter was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court for three counts of making an indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph of children, and two counts of distributing an indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph of children.
He was sentenced to a 10-month suspended sentence of imprisonment, a rehabilitation activity requirement, an unpaid work requirement, a restraining order, a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a requirement to sign the Sexual Offenders Register for 10 years.
According to his LinkedIn profile he also worked at schools in Chislehurst and Carshalton.
Mr Atter admitted that he was convicted of these offences at a teacher misconduct panel on August 20 this year, held by the Teaching Regulation Agency. He also accepted that he had admitted to having a sexual interest in children and that when distributing the photographs he had engaged in sexualised conversation regarding children.
A number of the photographs in Mr Atter’s possession were moving and in the highest category of indecent image. These images depict the most severe types of sexual abuse.
The teacher misconduct panel found that Mr Atter’s conduct “fell significantly short of the standards expected” of the teaching profession, and the findings of misconduct were “particularly serious” as they included a conviction for making and distributing indecent images of children.
The panel imposed a prohibition order with no review period, meaning Mr Atter is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England. The panel also decided that Mr Atter will not be entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach.
Mr Atter now works as a rail replacement coordinator, according to his LinkedIn profile, which also states he has a PhD in Chemistry from Durham University and an MSci in Chemistry (2:1) from the University of Nottingham.
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