London - A grammar school teacher who streaked in front of his pupils has quit his job after being found guilty of misconduct.
David Bradley, 58, had been camping with the group of 12- and 13-year-olds on a field trip when he agreed to run naked across a garden.
The married teacher told a disciplinary panel: “The lads had streaked for a joke and they were saying: “Come on sir, you have a go.”
“At that point, for whatever reason, I got up, ran down the garden and ran back in. Even when I did it I thought: “What am I doing?””
Bradley, who received an MBE four years ago for his work with children, was found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct this week after admitting it had been “inappropriate” to streak.
He has since quit his job and will hear in the next month whether he will be struck off the teaching register. The hearing was also told how he undressed in an area where children were showering during the school camping trip to the Solwaybank centre in Dumfries and Galloway in November 2011.
Bradley, from Hale Barns in Greater Manchester, was also accused of inappropriately hugging a female pupil from North Cestrian Grammar School in Altrincham, Cheshire, where he taught.
However, the Teaching Agency hearing in Coventry ruled that undressing in front of boys while they showered and hugging the girl, who Bradley said was hypothermic, did not amount to misconduct.
Addressing the moment Bradley streaked in front of the children, panel chairman John Pemberton told him: “Teachers have a responsibility to uphold public trust in the profession and to maintain high standards of behaviour within and outside school.
“On this occasion you failed to maintain the appropriate boundaries and appropriate delineation of behaviour that should exist between pupils and teachers.
“We are satisfied that your actions do amount to unprofessional conduct which may bring the profession into disrepute.” The English master was awarded an MBE in 2008 for services to young people after running schemes for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award for 30 years.
He said at the time that organising trips was “normally just an excuse to have fun and enjoy the animal vitality the young exude”.
Bradley, who has taught for 37 years, said he realised while streaking that what he was doing was unprofessional. “At the time and also shortly afterwards I realised it was inappropriate,” he added.
“I thought: “What the hell are you doing? I’ve not done this before – why am I doing it now?””
However, referring to the accusations about hugging the girl, Bradley said he was “aghast” that what used to be considered normal behaviour for teachers could now cause complaints.
“The thing that comes out of this is how out of date I am,” he said.
“What is viewed as normal today seems to have gone to a frightening situation where an adult can’t be near to a child without being accused of something. I”m aghast.”
John Easton, representing Bradley, added: “He made a very serious error of judgment after working a 16-hour day and suffering from fatigue.” - Daily Mail