(UNITED KINGDOM)
Surrey Live [Surrey, UK]
September 4, 2026
By Victoria Shipp
Ian Cornish used a dating up to chat and meet up with a child of just 13
An ex-teacher who used to work at a prestigious Surrey private school has been banned from the profession for life after being convicted of child sex offences.
A panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency heard that Ian Cornish, who was employed at Ewell Castle School, used a dating site to chat and meet up with a child of just 13.
The panel reports that what followed was a series of “sexualised communications”, meetings between them as well as “sexual activity.”
Following a police investigation and prosecution, Cornish, 70, pleaded guilty to three offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
The offences were meeting a boy under 16 following grooming, arranging/ facilitating the commission of a child sex offence and engaging in sexual communication with a child.
In January 2023, Cornish was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment and is the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years. He is to be placed on the Sex Offenders register.
Mr Cornish’s actions did not take place within an education setting and the child in question was not one of his pupils.
Despite this, the panel from the TRA found the convictions “directly relevant to Mr Cornish’s ongoing suitability to teach and his fitness to be a teacher.”
Cornish’s conduct was described by the panel as “very serious in nature” and running “counter to what should be at the very core of the practice of a teacher with a duty of care towards children.”
It highlighted that offending took place over several months, and had elements of planning and deliberation. The panel also believed that Cornish had not shown remorse for his offence or concern towards his victim.
Because of this, the panel felt there is a “a real risk of Mr Cornish repeating his offending behaviour.”
When weighing their decision a number of mitigating factors were considered including that Cornish had an otherwise unblemished record and had engaged with the TRA and made full admissions.
But the panel concluded that Cornish’s actions were” fundamentally incompatible with him being a teacher” and “the nature and gravity of these offences were a matter of significant concern.”
As a result of the panel’s findings, Ian Cornish is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England. The seriousness of the actions means he will not be entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach.
Ewell Castle School was approached for comment.