A geography teacher has been removed from the teaching register for two years after pupils at a girls' boarding school were accidentally shown his YouTube search history, which included inappropriate terms. James Hindson, 69, was teaching a lesson at the £45,000-a-year Moreton Hall School in Shropshire when he navigated to YouTube, and previous searches linked to his account appeared on a large classroom screen.
Pupils reported seeing search terms such as 'teen bikini haul' and 'girls in thongs' during the lesson on May 7, 2026. A school IT investigation following the incident revealed a pattern of searches between 2021 and 2023 focusing on teenagers, including terms related to sexual activity.
Hindson admitted to unacceptable professional conduct. He stated that he had been attempting to find a YouTube clip for his lesson on global trade when the searches were inadvertently displayed. He did not deny making the searches, which he said were conducted at home and included terms like 'teens having sex,' 'teens stripping,' and 'teen first time sex.'
A misconduct panel found that the searches were consistently focused on teenagers and demonstrated a sustained pattern of behavior over an extended period. The panel noted the relevance of these searches given Hindson was teaching secondary-aged pupils at an all-girls' boarding school. While accepting that Hindson may not have intended to show the search terms and may not have realized they were linked to his school account, the panel determined he bore responsibility for the incident.
The panel concluded that Hindson's conduct was sexually motivated and fell significantly short of the expected standards for teachers. Despite acknowledging his contributions to education and evidence of remorse, the panel deemed a ban necessary to maintain public confidence in the teaching profession. Hindson is now prohibited from teaching in any school, sixth-form college, or children's home in England and Wales. He is eligible to apply for the prohibition order to be lifted in two years.