Girl’s housemaster at £48,685-a-year non-public college in Bath is sacked for ‘inappropriate on-line contact’ with former pupils
A trusted girls’ housemaster at a leading private school has been sacked for ‘inappropriate online contact’ with former pupils.
Xavier Lord was dismissed from Prior Park College, Bath, where full boarding fees are £48,685 a year, after his behaviour was reported to staff by current pupils.
Shocked parents received a letter from headmaster Ben Horan in which he spoke of ‘hard revelations’ but insisted there was ‘no suggestion of any physical harm towards any children or young people.’
He went on: ‘What there had been, and what Mr Lord has admitted to, was inappropriate contact, online, with some former students through social media.’
The science teacher was one of the first men to head an all-girls’ house at the co-ed school, motto: God our guide, God our light.
He was sacked following a month-long investigation and disciplinary process involving the police and local authority safeguarding team.
Mr Horan told parents police ‘felt that the issues raised did not meet their high threshold for action’ while ‘the local authority passed over responsibility for further investigation to the school’.
He added: ‘Throughout these four weeks, Mr Lord was suspended from his position at the school and from our school site.
Xavier Lord shaved his shoulder length hair into a mohawk for charity at the behest of polled students
The school declined to elaborate on the nature of Mr Lord’s contact with the former pupil, but said that he did not plan to appeal the dismissal decision
The private school costs £48,685 a year to attend has very special grounds – host to one of four Palladian bridges in the world
‘Any young people directly affected were in regular communication and contact with our safeguarding team; their parents were all informed.’
Prior Park describes itself as ‘a Christian school in the Catholic tradition’ and caters for 535 pupils aged 11-19.
Alumni include the former leader of the Catholic Church in England, Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, composer Sir Cameron Mackintosh and Prince Harry’s former girlfriend, actress Cressida Bonas.
Mr Lord was jointly responsible for the welfare of some 70 girls staying at the school’s separate St Mary’s boarding house, a Grade II listed former priory. He was also head of Fielding House.
He appears to have been a popular teacher who engaged with the lighter side of school life. In June last year his distinctive shoulder-length hair was replaced with a ‘Mohican’ to raise money for charity – the result of a poll among pupils as to which style he should adopt.
Prior Park was given a glowing assessment for pastoral care in its latest Independent Schools Inspectorate report.
It notes: ‘Staff help pupils build self-knowledge, confidence and resilience and pupils know how to seek help when needed. The relationships and sex education programme is well structured, age appropriate and enables pupils to learn about and discuss potentially sensitive issues with confidence.’
In his letter to parents Mr Horan said he was ‘proud of the fact that students at our school felt safe enough to make a disclosure of this nature to us.’
Xavie Lord was sacked after it was discovered he had ‘inappropriate online contact’ with former pupils
‘In schools like ours where systems work, where students have trust in their teachers, and where professionalism abounds, such behaviour will be found out’, headmaster Ben Horan said
Mr Lord was jointly responsible for the welfare of some 70 girls in St Mary’s boarding house and Feilding House
He went on: ‘I am proud that our students were confident enough that such allegations would not only be taken seriously but that they would also be acted upon immediately and appropriately.
‘As hard as such revelations are, the way in which our community has responded has been exemplary.
‘In schools like ours where systems work, where students have trust in their teachers, and where professionalism abounds, such behaviour will be found out. It will be called to account and those responsible will be removed.’
He said Mr Lord had been referred to the Disclosure Barring Service and the Teacher Referral Agency ‘regarding his suitability to work with children and young people in the future.’
In response to questions from the Mail On Sunday, Mr Horan declined to elaborate on the online contact between Mr Lord and former pupils but said the teacher had ‘let us know that he does not plan to appeal the dismissal decision.’
