Nottingham, England:  A teacher who had an affair with a sixth-former after inviting him to walk her dog has been banned from the classroom for life.

Joanne Clarke only had sex with the boy once he was 18 and left her school - but admitted her motives for striking up friendship were "sexually motivated".

Their growing friendship may have contributed to him deciding to leave and go to college, a teaching panel heard.

The boy, named only as Pupil A, was a sixth former at Friesland School in Nottingham where Ms Clarke worked as a sociology and religious studies teacher from January 2007.

The religious education teacher resigned in August last year after her ex-lover emailed a complaint to the headteacher.

The then-27-year-old admitted asking him to walk her dog in June 2009 when he was 17 because he was sad at losing his own dog.

The next August she met Pupil A outside of school more regularly, going to the cinema and restaurants as the pair exchanged texts.

The relationship continued after Pupil A went to college and became sexual when he was over the age of 18 and had left the school.

She said the pupil's family became aware of the affair and the teacher even spent several nights at the boy's mother's house over Christmas.

But Ms Clarke, now 33, was found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct and admitted she had acted 'inappropriately'.

She has been prohibited indefinitely from teaching in any school, sixth-form college, youth accommodation or children's home in England.

Robert Cawley, who chaired the National College for Teaching and Leadership hearing in Coventry, said the relationship "went beyond professional boundaries".

He added: "Ms Clarke's conduct was harmful to Pupil A as he should have been able to place trust in Ms Clarke as a teacher and she should not have let this situation occur.

“The breach of the position of trust affects the way Ms Clarke fulfils her teaching role or may lead to pupils being exposed to or influenced by the behaviour in a harmful way."

The panel said Ms Clarke can apply to have the prohibition order reviewed after two years, but the Department for Education increased this to five.