A BOARDING school teacher faces being struck off after he and a female student went on dog walks, watched films together and visited a tourist attraction.
Dan Barlow is also accused of taking the sixth form to his home and sending her an email containing medical information about other pupils.
Mr Barlow taught in the senior school at £38,000-a-year St Leonards School, St Andrews.
He was also head of year and a teacher of modern languages at the school, which counts supermodel Stella Tennant among its alumni.
The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS), at a hearing which started today in Edinburgh, alleges Mr Barlow had an inappropriate relationship with the student which breached professional boundaries.
The council accused Mr Barlow of regularly spending time alone with the pupil whilst walking his dog in 2019.
He is also accused of regularly spending time alone with the pupil in the common room, speaking to her, and watching films with her.
Barlow is also accused of taking the pupil to his home to return a trailer after a camping trip.
And in September 2019 he is accused of taking the pupil to Falkland Palace, Fife.
Another charge alleges that Barlow sent an email to the same pupil which contained personal medical details about other pupils.
And a final allegation accuses Barlow of lying about sending the email in a disciplinary hearing at St Leonards in December 2019.
He was dismissed by the school the same month.
Mr Barlow admitted or partly admitted the charges but denied the relationship was inappropriate.
Barlow admitted dog walks and time alone in the school’s common room with the student.
He said they had watched a “1949 Alec Guiness” film – most likely Kind Hearts and Coronets – but took issue with the word “regularly”.
He also admitted sending an email to the pupil in 2019 which contained information about a food allergy relating to another student.
But Mr Barlow denied the element of the charge relating to medical information, claiming food allergies do not count as such.
And he admitted driving the student to his home but insisted she had not gone inside. Mr Barlow said he stopped off at his home to unload camping equipment while taking the student from the camp to a train station.
The hearing is scheduled to end on Friday.
