Physics Teacher Struck Off Over OnlyFans Account
Physics Teacher Struck Off After Pupils Discover Explicit OnlyFans Content
A disciplinary hearing has concluded that a physics teacher, Kirsty Buchan, has been permanently removed from the teaching profession after students at Glasgow’s Bannerman High School discovered her explicit content on the subscription platform, OnlyFans.
The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) delivered its verdict today, following an investigation into the teacher’s conduct.
The startling revelation came to light in November 2022 when pupils reportedly informed their headteacher, Seonaidh Black, about Ms. Buchan’s presence on the adult content site.
Ms. Buchan, a mother-of-one, had used the moniker “Jessica Jackrabbit x” on the platform.
Headteacher Recounts Students’ “Excitement”
Seonaidh Black, the headteacher of Bannerman High School since 2016, testified yesterday about the shock and immediate concern that swept through the school.
She recounted how one of her deputies approached her just minutes before the end of the school day, showing her images of Ms. Buchan “posing in lingerie” that had been shown to them by S5 (fifth-year) pupils.
Ms. Black, 56, told the hearing that the news quickly became the “talk of the school gates” that day. She described being approached by “very excited” S5 and S6 boys who hinted at the discovery, telling her, “If you haven’t heard, when you do, you’re going to go ballistic.
Look out for Jessica Jackrabbit.” It quickly became clear that the entire school community was aware of the situation.
“Blurring of Boundaries” and School’s Reputation
Ms. Buchan, who was once a student at Bannerman High School before returning as a teacher, was notably absent from the disciplinary hearing and did not send any representation.
Ms. Black described Ms. Buchan as a teacher who “wanted to do a good job” but admitted there were “small number of occasions where I felt she was not always clear on boundaries.”
While emphasizing that these concerns were not related to relationships with pupils, she noted “poor judgment at times around things like her social media accounts being open where young people could perhaps access them.”
Ms. Buchan tendered her resignation from the school in the same month the images surfaced, though her employment officially ended in January 2023.
The headteacher also revealed a worrying incident where a concerned mother informed a deputy that “her son had put messages on Kirsty’s OnlyFans profile.”
Since her profile’s discovery, Ms. Buchan, now 34, has claimed to have earned a substantial £60,000 in just one month from the X-rated content, stating she joined the site to supplement her income due to a drop in school earnings.
However, the lasting impact on the school’s reputation is significant. Ms. Black told the hearing, “There’s still talk about it. Last week I had parents in school and they talked about OnlyFans… it has just become synonymous” with the school.
Ms. Black underscored the importance of pupils having confidence in teachers, expressing her belief that it “will be a long time before the situation involving Kirsty is a historical detail that is no longer talked about.”
The school has since engaged in discussions with pupils about online safety as a result of the incident.
Investigation Findings and Unfitness to Teach
Hannah Oakley, who investigated the case for GTCS, clarified that OnlyFans is a “social media network which allows users to post content which subscribers can then pay to access,” with uploads being “predominantly pornographic or sexually explicit in nature.”
Her investigation in August 2023 confirmed that Ms. Buchan’s public profile page was accessible without requiring a log-in or payment, and she deemed the content “pornographic and sexually explicit.”
Ms. Buchan was accused of setting up the OnlyFans page, where she allegedly referenced her profession by stating she was a “good teacher gone bad… really bad.”
Furthermore, she was accused of failing to secure her profile picture and “bio” from public access, including individuals under 18.
She also faced allegations of participating in a publicly accessible video interview discussing her OnlyFans activity.
These actions led to an accusation of “lacking in integrity” by failing to prevent herself from being identifiable as a teacher, thereby risking “bringing the teaching profession into disrepute.”
The disciplinary panel found all allegations against Ms. Buchan to be proven. Gary Burton, the GTCS presenting officer, argued that Ms. Buchan was unfit to continue in the profession due to a “significant blurring of boundaries between her private life and her professional life.”
He emphasized that her conduct was “entirely inappropriate behaviour, given a teacher’s position of trust and as a role model to pupils,” and that she had used her profession “as a selling tool and a way to draw viewers.”
Given Ms. Buchan’s complete lack of engagement in the disciplinary process and “zero insight” into her actions, coupled with a “high risk of repetition,” Mr. Burton asserted that her actions are “fundamentally incompatible with being a registered teacher,” leading to the decision to strike her off the professional register.
Physics Teacher Struck Off Over OnlyFans Account