Hackney teacher denies asking student to translate ‘will you have sex with me?’

Our Lady’s Convent High School. Photograph: Google Street View

A former teacher at a Hackney girls’ school has been banned from teaching after allegedly asking a student to translate “will you have sex with me” into Spanish.

Mr Jedidiah Pabifio, 40, who was Assistant Head of Science at Catholic comprehensive Our Lady’s Convent High School on Amhurst Park, was dismissed in April 2014 for “gross misconduct”.

A professional conduct panel found that Mr Pabifio was guilty of “unacceptable professional conduct” for a range of allegations including faking a job reference and inappropriate conduct.

The National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) panel found that in September 2013 Mr Pabifio gave a student a lift home, offered her alcohol and cigarettes, and attempted to pay her £40 to meet him during lunch break the following day.

In the same month, he also asked the same student to translate “will you have sex with me” from Spanish into English.

Allegations that Mr Pabifio asked another student to meet him at lunchtime in October 2013 were also found to be proven.

Other allegations that the teacher had touched a student on the bottom during an open evening, requested students’ Whatsapp numbers and invited them to a nightclub were not proven, the panel found.

Mr Pabifio admitted that in 2014 he cooperated with a newly-qualified teacher to produce a reference for Hays Recruitment but denied all allegations of inappropriate conduct towards students.

‘Not sexually motivated’

The NCTL report said: “The panel is satisfied that the conduct of Mr Pabifio was misconduct of a serious nature, falling significantly short of the standard of behaviour expected of a teacher.”

The report said Mr Pabifio was an “effective teacher” and had been affected by difficult family circumstances.

It read: “The panel has judged that the fraud was at the lower end of the seriousness scale and that although Mr Pabifio acted inappropriately, there was no evidence of physical contact with pupils and his behaviour was not sexually motivated.”

The NCTL also said that Mr Pabifio had “shown remorse” over his conduct, and said he would have the opportunity to apply to have the ban lifted after three years.

Headteacher Jane Gray told the Hackney Citizen: “Safeguarding is our absolute priority in school and as soon as we were made aware of the allegations against Mr Pabifio we took appropriate disciplinary action. He was dismissed in April 2014 for gross misconduct.

“The outcome of this hearing, published recently, confirmed that Mr Pabifio’s behaviour was completely inappropriate for a teacher and therefore the school’s decision to dismiss was the correct course of action.”

Following his dismissal from Our Lady’s, Mr Pabifio went on to work for Bow School in Tower Hamlets but was suspended in November 2014, following contact from the local authority designated officer. He resigned in January 2015.