A French teacher who touched a pupil’s bottom in class and called him ‘sexy boy’ in a Facebook message has been struck off for possessing indecent images of children.

Arnaud Barge, who taught at The Priory School in Orpington, was banned from teaching at a professional conduct committee hearing on September 9.

A panel found the 41-year-old guilty of ‘unacceptable professional conduct’ for possessing a memory stick containing four indecent images of children which police discovered at his home.

The head of modern languages also used Facebook to send ‘inappropriate’ messages to a 15-year-old boy at the school, the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) heard.

Mr Barge, who did not attend the hearing, had messaged the boy saying, ‘I’ll change your attitude sexy boy’, ‘poke away darling xx’, ‘thanks honey’ and ‘night night xx’.

The hearing was also told how Mr Barge, who had worked at the school since 2002, made the student feel ‘uncomfortable’ when he ‘smacked’ his bottom.

He was suspended from the secondary school in December 2011, and resigned in November 2012, after the pupil reported him to a staff member.

Mr Barge was acquitted of three counts of sexual activity with a child while in a position of trust at Croydon Crown Court last year.

The committee found his messages and touching of the boy ‘inappropriate’ but ruled there was no evidence it was sexually motivated.

Mr Barge is banned from teaching at any school, sixth form, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in Britain.

NCTL panel chairman, Luke Graham, said: “The panel has taken account of the uniquely influential role that teachers can hold in pupil’s lives and that pupils must be able to view teachers as role models in the way they behave.

“Mr Barge’s possession of indecent images of children and his approach to the pupil-teacher relationship in the case of Student A is incompatible with this professional standard.”

Paul Heathcote, who made the decision on behalf of the Secretary of State, accepted the NCTL’s recommendations that Mr Barge should be banned from teaching for life.

He said: “There is evidence that Mr Barge was a good teacher who, prior to these findings, was considered to be of good character.

“However, the panel have found no evidence that Mr Barge was acting under duress and there is no suggestion that his actions were other than deliberate.

“I agree with the panel's recommendation that a prohibition order is both an appropriate and proportionate sanction.”