A former teacher convicted of sex offences against a pupil nearly 40 years ago has been banned from returning to the country’s classrooms.

In October last year, Keith Ellen, 69, was convicted of four counts of indecent assault on a girl who was 14 at the time the offences began. The offences happened between 1977 and 1979.

Ellen, who at the time was teaching at Canons High School, Harrow, at the time of the offences, was given a 12-month suspended jail sentence at Harrow Crown Court.

He was also ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, pay a victim surcharge of £100 and costs of £1,000. He was also given a ten-year sex offences prevention order.

The ban, imposed on behalf of Education Secretary Nicky Morgan, follows a finding by a National College of Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) disciplinary panel that his behaviour had amounted to “sexualised behaviour towards a child.”

The panel’s findings say he “admitted kissing a 14-year-old pupil of his former school and touching her physically, when she was below the age of legal consent.”

They say Ellen, a teacher for 40 years who retired from full-time teaching in 2010, had indicated the actions were “completely consensual”, though he accepted that the girl was not permitted, according to law, to consent.

The NCTL panel said there is a strong public interest consideration in respect of the protection of pupils given the “serious finding of inappropriate relations, ie kissing and touching a pupil of 14 years of age.”

It said: “Mr Ellen has admitted his conduct was inappropriate and the panel notes that his actions were repeated and deliberate.

“There was no evidence that he was acting under duress. Further, the panel considered that his behaviour was sexually motivated towards the female pupil concerned.”

The findings add the panel was concerned even now Ellen has failed to recognise the emotional and moral dimension to his inappropriate conduct towards a child, preferring to rely on his own view that the pupil consented. The panel said: “By doing so, Mr Ellen has failed to recognise the breach of trust and the risk to the pupil’s wellbeing.”

Imposing the ban on behalf of the Education Secretary and ruling it should be a permanent, NCTL official, Paul Heathcote said : “The panel consider that Mr Ellen’s behaviour amounts to serious sexual misconduct and have recommended that the order should be without provision for Mr Ellen to apply to have it set aside. I agree with their recommendation.”

Ellen has a right of appeal to the High Court.