Two teachers involved in a prolonged sexual relationship, which included encounters on school grounds, have been barred from teaching.
Liyarna Beamish, a married deputy headteacher, and art teacher Gareth Collins engaged in a secret affair over two years while working at Ribston Hall High School, an all-girls grammar school in Gloucester. Their misconduct included having sex in classrooms and storage cupboards during the school day.
Both educators admitted to the inappropriate relationship and have since been struck off the teaching register for unacceptable professional conduct, according to the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA).
Mrs Beamish, 39, acknowledged that the sexual encounters with Mr Collins, 45, occurred “multiple times” both during and after school hours. The affair came to light in June 2024 after school leaders received explicit messages exposing their meetings.
During the investigation, Beamish confirmed that the pair regularly used Mr Collins’s art room and two cupboards for their encounters, ensuring the doors were locked. She had married fellow teacher Ross Beamish in 2018, with whom she has three children.
Mr Collins, who had been in the profession for 18 years, admitted to engaging in sexual activity with Mrs Beamish sporadically over a few years, mainly during study periods and after classes.
Despite Beamish claiming she was emotionally manipulated by Collins, the TRA panel found both individuals to have willingly participated in the affair. The panel concluded that her actions significantly violated professional boundaries and ethical expectations.
Beamish defended her actions by stating she took steps to avoid being discovered and maintained that the explicit messages exchanged were private and encrypted.
Panel chair Laura Mullin emphasized the gravity of the misconduct, noting that Beamish had openly admitted to sexual activity on school grounds during working hours, as well as using her phone during lessons to send and receive explicit messages.
Mullin added that any discovery of the affair by students could have had serious consequences.
The TRA stated that both teachers were seeking sexual gratification, and their behavior fell far short of professional standards. The report also highlighted the broader damage such actions cause to the reputation of the teaching profession.
As a result, both Beamish and Collins have been banned from reapplying to the teaching register for two years. They have 28 days to appeal the decision.
The ban was endorsed by David Oatley on behalf of Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, who described the misconduct as serious and unacceptable.
Ribston Hall is a state-funded grammar school for girls aged 11 to 16, with a co-educational sixth form.
