James Hindson, 69, who worked at Moreton Hall School near Oswestry, has been banned from teaching by a TRA misconduct panel after he accidently shared his sordid search history on YouTube
A teacher at an all-girls’ school inadvertently exposed his shameful YouTube history to students during a geography lesson, according to a misconduct hearing.
Former church warden James Hindson was caught out by a pupil during his class when he unintentionally revealed his online search history for ‘sexual’ videos involving teenagers.
The 69-year-old was attempting to use YouTube as part of his lesson but instead ended up displaying his past searches to a shocked classroom. Searches such as ‘twerking schools teens’, ‘girls in thongs’, ‘teen bikini haul’ and ‘good teen sex’ were among the ‘inappropriate’ terms entered by the private school teacher.
Hindson confessed to conducting the searches at home and expressed his ‘shame’ over his actions, reports Birmingham Live.
A professional conduct panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) has now determined that Hindson violated teaching standards and his behaviour constituted misconduct.
His actions were deemed ‘sexually motivated’ and his searches were ‘consistently focused on teenagers’.
A report from the panel stated: “The panel considered all of the evidence before it and concluded that the conduct found proven would be regarded by a reasonable person as sexual in nature.
“In reaching that conclusion, the panel noted that a number of the search terms identified, including “teens having sex”, “teens stripping” and “good teen sex”, were inherently sexual in nature.”
Hindson was employed at Moreton Hall School, near Oswestry, between 2012 and 2023, and then again from April 2025.
The institution is a private boarding and day school catering to girls aged up to 18, with tuition fees exceeding £47,000 for certain pupils.
The report stated: “On May 7, 2025, pupils reported that Hindson had displayed his previous YouTube searches on the large screen during a geography lesson.
“The pupils reported that as Hindson clicked on the search bar whilst displaying his YouTube account, it revealed his previous searches including one or more of the following terms, “teen bikini haul”, “teens in thongs” and “girls in thongs”.”
He was instructing a class of secondary-aged students at the time. The school’s IT department examined Hindson’s Google account eight days afterwards and ‘found searches matching those reported by the pupils’.
Within his browsing history, there were ‘common themes of searches being for teens in little clothing, teens engaging in athletic activity, or relating to sexual activity’, the panel was told.
Searches were verified to have taken place between April 1, 2021, and November 30, 2023. Hindson was sacked from the school on the same day, with the case subsequently forwarded to the TRA.
Hindson acknowledged the allegations, claiming that he ‘accidentally’ revealed his past YouTube searches during the class.
The report stated: “He stated that he made the searches whilst at home and when searching for a YouTube clip to illustrate aspects of global trade based on a song during a lesson, he accidentally displayed the searches but had not intended to do so.”
Hindson expressed his belief that the ‘attitudes’ of students ‘towards him changed following the incident’, with the panel observing ‘that the display of the search terms could have caused embarrassment to pupils’.
He ‘expressed remorse’, stating: “I am ashamed of my behaviour and the harm it has already caused to a number of students and the potential it has for harming reputation of the teaching profession.”
A character reference submitted to the panel from Reverend Peter Hubbard depicted the former teacher as ‘dependable and hardworking’.
The report continued: “The panel also acknowledged that Hindson had actively removed himself from roles outside the teaching profession that involved children including stepping down as a Church Warden and as a member of the Parochial Church Council.”
The panel mentioned it also recognised Hindson’s ‘positive contribution’ to the profession including ‘previous work with the Field Studies Council, his involvement in international projects, and the evidence of his good reputation within the wider educational community’.
Following the hearing in August 2026, Hindson was made subject to a prohibition order, effectively banning him from teaching indefinitely.
He is prohibited from teaching in any school, sixth-form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England.
The panel declared the order – which can be reviewed in two years – was ‘both proportionate and appropriate’, stating: “The nature of the searches and the recurring “teenage” theme throughout was a significant factor in forming that opinion.
“Whilst the panel noted that not all of the search terms were overtly sexual in nature, it was concerned by the overall pattern of searches, in particular search terms such as “teen first time sex”, “twerking schools teens”, “teens having sex” and “good teen sex” and considered that the conduct would be viewed by members of the public as inappropriate for a teacher.
“The panel also noted that Hindson had accepted that his conduct was of a sexual nature and sexually motivated.”
Officers determined Hindson’s behaviour ‘fell below the threshold of criminality’, the panel observed.
It also stated there was ‘insufficient evidence before it to establish that Hindson had viewed any indecent image or photograph of a child’.