A TEACHER who admitted to an affair with a 16-year-old pupil has quit his job.

Technology teacher at Bridgewater High School Tony Broadbent handed in his resignation to education bosses this week following the scandal.

Last week an investigation was underway into claims that Mr Broadbent, aged 46, had conducted a year long affair with the teenage girl. But following his resignation that will now be ended.

Warrington Education Director Malcolm Roxburgh said: "We have received the resignation of the teacher in question, which clearly we will accept.

"It does mean that witnesses that might otherwise have been called will now not be."

He added that the girl involved, who has not been named and is believed to be still studying at the school, would not have been called as a witness by the education authority.

Warrington Education Authority will now inform the Department for Education and Employment of the situation and it is likely that details of Mr Broadbent's alleged misconduct and his current circumstances will now by placed on a confidential list held by the DFEE.

"We will have conversations with the DFEE and they will deal with it from then on," Mr Roxburgh added.

A police investigation into whether Mr Broadbent had had unlawful sex with an underage girl was called off when officers were assured that the couple had waited until after her 16th birthday before letting the relationship get more serious.

If the DFEE decide to launch their own investigation into the case Mr Broadbent could be banned from ever teaching again. But it is unlikely he will be able to find teaching work in the Warrington area anyway.

Mr Roxburgh said: "The decision on which teachers to employ is made by the individual governing bodies, but clearly if any Warrington school was proposing to employ anyone who had left their previous employment in these circumstances such as these, we would draw it to their attention."

The affair first came to light at the end of the summer term, when other staff members became suspicious of Mr Broadbent's relationship with the girl during a school party.

He confessed to the affair to head teacher Christopher Marks during the summer and was immediately suspended pending the investigation.

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