An RE teacher faces being struck off after being caught in a pub with a female pupil.
Gavin Dunsmuir is accused of forming an ‘inappropriate’ relationship with the student who he allegedly planned to hire as his daughter’s babysitter.
The secondary school tutor allegedly went to a pub with the teenager and a group of former and current pupils from Largs Academy in North Lanarkshire in Scotland, where he taught religious education.
His behaviour raised the alarm of an off-duty teacher who said his body language with the pupil made them ‘look like a couple’.
Teacher Gavin Dunsmuir allegedly went to the Lounge bar in Largs (pictured above) with a group of pupils
Mr Dunsmuir is also accused of taking the teen to another colleague’s home and claimed he was ‘mentoring’ her when questioned about their relationship.
The female pupil, who cannot be identified, in her final year at school at the time.
The ‘relationship’ unfolded between March 2015 and August 2015, and now Mr Dunsmuir’s fitness to teach is being questioned by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) in Edinburgh.
Giving evidence this week, Lynsey Muir, a PE teacher at Largs Academy since 2001, told the panel that she ran into Mr Dunsmuir and a group of pupils at the Lounge public house in Largs.
She said: ‘Gavin came into the pub with pupil A and several other pupils. There were four or five in total.
Dunsmuir’s career is under threat after being accused of striking up an inappropriate relationship with a teenage pupil while teaching at Largs Academy in North Ayrshire (pictured above)
‘I was with a group of probationary teachers and I told them I had to leave. I felt really uncomfortable. Their body language was close, turning to each other
‘My blood was boiling from the Lounge. It was in the summer of 2015, so she would’ve been at the end of sixth year.
‘She was a sensitive girl with a heart of gold. She lacked self confidence.’
Miss Muir added: ‘The way the school is it’s common for me to walk past R.E. I recall quite often that pupil A would be in sitting with Gavin alone. On a daily basis.
‘I asked Gavin about pupil A and he told me he was a mentor to her.’
Also giving evidence at the hearing was Alan Leishman, a Chemistry teacher at Largs Academy from 2002.
The ‘relationship’ unfolded between March 2015 and August 2015, and now Mr Dunsmuir’s fitness to teach is being questioned by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) in Edinburgh (pictured above)
Alan was best friends with Gavin during their time at the school together, and even attended his wedding.
He said: ‘I felt pupil A and Gavin developed a relationship. I saw them on exam day, she had been at his house but I didn’t ask why. I recall him saying the pupil went as a surprise for his daughter.
‘Pupil A got on well with his daughter. He said he was going to use her as a babysitter. I recall saying to Gavin not to get too close. Gavin said she had issues and he knew not to get too close.
‘I asked Gavin if anything was going on and he said ‘no’.’
Mr Leishman also told the panel that Mr Dunsmuir’s wife had told him the teacher and pupil were having a relationship.
He added that he was ‘speechless’ when Mr Dunsmuir arrived at his home with Pupil A in his car.
He said: ‘I never had a pupil come to my home. Gavin said he’d tell me later why she was in the car, and he said that she was at his house as a surprise. I know his daughter liked pupil A.’
When asked by the panel if he was worried about two male members of staff being in the car with a female pupil.
He replied: ‘I suppose. I made sure the two of us were in the front.
Rightly or wrongly I believed everything he said. I thought ‘are staff not allowed to use ex-pupils as babysitters?’
‘Gavin mentored her as well as another English teacher.’
Mr Dunsmuir did not attend the hearing which began yesterday and did not arrange legal representation on his behalf.
The hearing has been adjourned.