Lee Hessey, who served as chief executive officer of The Forge Academy Trust in Nottinghamshire, has been indefinitely banned from teaching. The ban follows a Teacher Regulation Agency (TRA) panel's findings that he expressed a wish for Ofsted inspectors to die in a road traffic incident and sent racist messages to colleagues.
Hessey, who managed six primary schools, also referred to parents who complained about him as "vermin and pond life," and used other derogatory terms in messages. The panel described his language as abusive, offensive, and below the standards expected of a head teacher.
In his defence, Hessey stated that he was "letting off steam" in a closed message group with two colleagues, sometimes outside work hours and during a period of stress. However, the panel found no evidence that his actions were not deliberate, noting that as CEO, he was expected to set the standard.
Despite evidence of Hessey's positive contributions to schools in deprived communities, a senior TRA official, acting on behalf of the education secretary, overruled the panel's suggestion against an indefinite ban. The official deemed a prohibition order "proportionate" and in the "public interest."