A teacher who kissed a pupil and stripped to his underpants in a hotel room after a school leavers party has avoided a ban.

Science teacher Richard Hutchison faced a General Teaching Council (GTC) misconduct hearing last month over the allegations relating to his time at Johnstone High in Renfrewshire.

Mr Hutchison, who was the head of the science department, was accused of being under the influence of alcohol during the event at Burnhouse Manor Hotel in Beith, Ayr, in June 2015.

The charges claimed he kissed a pupil, behaved inappropriately towards pupils and slept in a hotel room with a number of them.

He was also accused of being in a "state of undress" in front of pupils on June 12 and June 13, 2015.

Mr Hutchison admitted all the charges but claimed the pupils were not pupils at the time as they handed in their leaver's forms. This claim was not accepted by the misconduct panel.

Renfrewshire Council confirmed Mr Hutchison no longer worked for the local authority.

The GTCS panel deemed the science teacher was still fit to teach and elected not to strike him off the register, instead issuing a strict order and reprimand.

It ruled his conduct "fell significantly short of the expected professional standards" but found he had "addressed and was continuing to address issues that led to the episode of very bad judgment" and there was "low risk of recurrence".

GTCS papers on the hearing state: "The panel observed that no children or young people had been harmed or put at risk. There was no sexual element to any of the behaviour.

"Given that there was no previous concern, no repetition and a low risk of recurrence, it was appropriate to make a finding of impairment rather than unfitness, provided that there was no over-riding public interest in making a finding of unfitness."

He was handed a conditional registration order and reprimand. The conditions mainly involve continuing with psychological treatment.

The order will last two years the reprimand will also remain on his record for two years.