Teacher appointed first Named Person state guardian struck off

Dayna Dickson-Boath was yesterday struck off the teaching register for sharing fantasies about abusing youngsters.

Scotland’s teaching watchdog also recommended that Dickson-Boath be placed on a list of persons deemed unfit to work with children in any capacity.

The guidance teacher was appointed 14 months ago to be Named Person for 200 secondary pupils under the Scottish Government’s controversial scheme to provide every child under 18 with a “state guardian”.

Dickson-Boath, who taught most recently in Elgin, consented yesterday to being struck off by the General Teaching Council for Scotland.

She accepted a charge that, between 8 August 2014 and 10 September 2014, she “did send, by means of a public electronic communications network, messages to another person that were grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character, in that you did converse regarding the sexual abuse of children.”

The notice added that she was convicted of the offence on 26 August, 2015, at Elgin Sheriff Court.

Hugh Paton, convener of the panel, said: “The registrant should be removed from the register in view of the facts admitted.

The panel has also decided that it is appropriate that the registrant’s name is referred to Scottish Government ministers for consideration in connection with inclusion on the list of those barred from working with children and vulnerable young adults.”

If the Scottish Government agrees, Dickson-Boath will be prohibited from working with children for the rest of her life.

The offences were committed while she was an additional support teacher at Forres Academy, Moray.

The Named Person scheme is set to be rolled out nationally later this year.

Moray Council was one of a string of local authorities that were operating an early version of the scheme when Dickson-Boath’s offences came to light.