Teacher who told pupil 'I shagged your maw' is struck off register

A foul-mouthed teacher who told one of his pupils "I shagged your maw" has been struck off the register.

Michael Rankin, a former youth coach with Greenock Morton, has been struck off for a string of offensive outbursts at pupils.

He told a pupil at Ardrossan Academy in Ayrshire that he "shagged" his "maw". Rankin also said: "Every time I shag your mum, she makes me a sandwich – that’s why I’m fat."

The technology teacher was proved to have repeatedly used inappropriate language in front of pupils as young as 13 in 2012 and 2013.

He was hauled in front of the General Teaching Council for Scotland and has now been struck off after a hearing.

The panel ruled that Rankin will not be able to apply for re-registration as a teacher due to the "seriousness of the conduct".

The 54-year-old from Skelmorlie, Ayrshire, told one student: "I need my glasses, I can’t see because of too much w****** – is that why you wear glasses?"

While watching a sex scene in the film Bend it like Beckham where a car bounces up and down, Rankin told another pupil: “That’s me and your mum in the back.”

The same student said Rankin also said: "You can give this present of a mirror to your mum but I already gave her a present last night."

Papers filed at the GTC hearing state: "Pupil A explained that the respondent (Rankin) called Pupil G “fatty” quite a lot.

"On one occasion in class, when the pupils were making something to hold a mirror, the Respondent wrote “fatty” on the back of Pupil G’s mirror and said to the class that he’s "fatty", referring to Pupil G.

"Pupil A had heard the respondent say to Pupil F, “is that why you wear glasses, too much w******?” and “shut up, I shagged your maw”. When watching Bend It Like Beckham in class, there was a scene where there were two people in a car, which was rocking up and down.

"The Respondent had said to Pupil F “that’s me and your maw”. Lastly, Pupil A explained that after a school football game against Cumnock, the Respondent said to the Cumnock team players that they were “Cumnock m*****”"

The GTC found Rakin's charges proved after the panel "accepted the evidence of those pupils who spoke of the various sexualised comments specified in paragraph of the complaint.

"The various statements, although referring to different elements of this paragraph, were accepted as establishing a pattern of conduct."

The GTC ruling added: "Once the respondent’s name has been removed from the register, it remains so removed unless and until an application for re-registration is made by the respondent and a Fitness to Teach Panel directs that the application be granted.

"The Panel took account of the presenting officer’s submissions in that, taking all of the facts and circumstances and having regard to the seriousness of the respondent’s conduct, the respondent should be prohibited from making an application for re-registration for the maximum period.

"The Panel agreed with that submission and accordingly directed that the respondent should be prohibited from making an application for re-registration for a period of two years from the date of its decision.

"The panel determined that a shorter time period would be inappropriate due to the serious nature of the language used by the respondent."