Chariots Of Fire public school teacher had inappropriate relationship with boy pupil, 17, after she went running with him

Hester Barsham-Rolfe developed 'platonic' relationship with Pupil A



The 30-year-old went running with boy and sent him Facebook messages



Teacher failed to end relationship when confronted by boy's parents

Disciplinary panel ruled the relationship was 'inappropriate'



Eltham College was made famous by former pupil Eric Liddell



Messages: Hester Barsham-Rolfe sent emails to the boy

A mistress at a top private school made famous by the film Chariots Of Fire has been rebuked for having a relationship with a 17-year-old pupil.

Economics teacher Hester Barsham-Rolfe, 30, met the boy alone away from lessons at £4,682-a-term Eltham College. She also sent him private messages on Facebook and email after they formed a personal bond by going running together.

It was the running prowess of former pupil Eric Liddell, immortalised in 1981’s Chariots Of Fire, which led to his 400 metres gold medal at the 1924 Paris Olympics. In Miss Barsham-Rolfe’s case, it led to her suspension for abusing her position of trust.

The teacher and pupil shared a love of running, but their friendship developed into an ‘inappropriate relationship’, a teaching disciplinary panel found.

The panel was told the sixth-former, named only as Pupil A, turned to the teacher for ‘emotional support’.

They kept in close contact over a 15-month period from January 2012 to April 2013, even continuing after the boy’s parents confronted her about their relationship.

There was no evidence of any sexual contact between the pair but the panel heard there was ‘the possibility of Ms Barsham-Rolfe and Pupil A having hugged on one occasion’.

She was not found guilty of ‘sexual misconduct or predatory behaviour’, and the evidence suggested the relationship was ‘platonic’.

Miss Barsham-Rolfe, who started teaching at the South-East London school in 2010, was suspended in April this year, and admitted to the inappropriate relationship.

Exclusive: The private Eltham College, pictured, costs £4,682 per term to attend

The teacher at Eltham College (pictured) had an 'inappropriate' relationship with the 17-year-old boy, a disciplinary panel ruled

The school and its grounds were made famous by Chariots Of Fire (pictured) which was inspired by former pupil Eric Liddell

She is a keen long-distance runner and has raced for Belgrave Harriers, a leading athletics club. A report from the professional conduct panel for the National College for Teaching and Leadership said: ‘Ms Barsham-Rolfe and Pupil A exchanged an extensive number of messages using Facebook, personal emails and text messages.

A statue of the Scottish athlete (pictured) remains at the school

‘Ms Barsham-Rolfe also met with Pupil A alone outside of school on a number of occasions to go running with him.’ The boy’s parents confronted her in February 2013.

But despite her assurances to them and the school that she would cease having ‘non-essential contact’ with the boy, she continued to do so, leading to her suspension.

The report said: ‘Ms Barsham-Rolfe accepts that the relationship with Pupil A was inappropriate given her role as his teacher.’

The panel ruled her conduct was ‘unprofessional’ but did not ask for her to be banned from teaching, adding she did not pose a risk to children and had simply become ‘too involved with supporting her student emotionally’. It concluded her conduct ‘fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession’ and was an abuse of her position of trust as the boy’s teacher.