Rebecca Joynes, a former maths teacher from Greater Manchester, has been indefinitely prohibited from teaching in England following a professional misconduct hearing. The decision, announced on December 24, 2025, by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA), comes after Joynes was convicted and jailed for engaging in sexual activity with two underage pupils, one of whom she later had a child with while on bail.
Joynes, now 31, was sentenced to six and a half years in prison in July 2024 at Manchester Crown Court after a jury found her guilty of six counts of sexual activity with a child, including two counts while in a position of trust. The misconduct panel, which convened virtually on December 4, 2025, and which Joynes did not attend or have representation for, ruled her actions constituted unacceptable professional conduct that brought the teaching profession into disrepute.
Panel chairman Phil Thompson stated that Joynes' behaviour involved "repeated serious sexual misconduct towards children," resulting in profound harm to the victims and undermining public confidence in educators. TRA decision-maker Marc Cavey, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for Education, imposed an immediate and indefinite prohibition order, with no provision for Joynes to apply for restoration of her teaching eligibility. Cavey noted the lack of evidence of insight or remorse, highlighting a risk of repetition and the need to protect pupils.
The case began in 2021 when Joynes, then teaching at a Greater Manchester school, groomed a 15-year-old pupil referred to as Boy A. She exchanged flirty messages after giving him part of her phone number for him to guess the rest. She later took him shopping at the Trafford Centre, buying him a £345 Gucci belt from Selfridges, before bringing him to her Salford flat where they had sex twice. The boy shared evidence with friends, prompting his mother to alert the school, leading to a police investigation. Joynes was arrested, suspended, and bailed with conditions prohibiting contact with anyone under 18.
Despite the bail terms, Joynes initiated contact with a second 15-year-old pupil, Boy B, sending intimate photos and describing him as "perfect." After he turned 16, their relationship became sexual, occurring on at least 30 occasions. Joynes claimed she had polycystic ovary syndrome making pregnancy unlikely, but she became pregnant and gave birth to Boy B's child. She revealed the pregnancy during a "date night" with rose petals, notes, and a babygrow reading "I love my daddy to the moon and back." The child was later removed from her care.
During her trial, Joynes denied the offences, portraying herself as flattered by the attention following a breakup. However, the jury rejected her defence. At sentencing, Judge Kate Cornell condemned Joynes' "breathtaking gall" and "astonishing arrogance," noting she groomed and controlled both boys. Victim impact statements revealed lasting trauma: one boy described being "coerced, controlled, manipulated, sexually abused, and mentally abused," while Boy B said his life trajectory was "forever altered" and he would remain "forever linked" to Joynes through their child.
Joynes was dismissed for gross misconduct in July 2022. The TRA panel found no mitigating factors, such as prior teaching qualities, outweighed the severity of her convictions. Shirley Duckworth, presenting for the TRA, described the offences as "of the utmost severity" and a profound breach of trust.
This prohibition ensures Joynes cannot teach in schools, colleges, or youth settings in England, with a right of appeal to the High Court within 28 days. The case highlights safeguarding failures and the long-term impact of teacher-pupil abuse, reinforcing strict professional standards.
