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A physics teacher who glorified drug use on social media has been banned from teaching for life.

Ashley Matto, 25, was found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct at Hammersmith Academy where he joined as a newly-qualified teacher in September 2013 and resigned in March 2014 following allegations he sent pupils at the specialist media secondary school a link to Reddit where he had posted about drugs.

Posting under the username ashleymatto, titles of his posts included 'LSD + Xanax + Coke = Weed + Alcohol + Electronic music xD'.

On March 24 last year he emailed pupils a link to the website to show them an image demonstrating advances in science but pupils could, and did, access his comments.

Dr Robert Cawley, panel chair for the National College of Teaching and Leadership (NCTL), said it resulted in a pupil having a "very favourable attitude to the use of drugs, including class A drugs" and demonstrated the teacher had recently used drugs.

Matto also sent a text message to a colleague implying he had taken recreational drug, DMT.

NCTL official Paul Heathcote said: “He has not shown any remorse or insight and has given no other indication that his attitude to drugs and misuse of social media is likely to change.”

Matto has a right of appeal to the High Court.