In 2020, the Offender Database recorded that 59-year-old Tariq Qureshi, a disgraced maths teacher, avoided a prison sentence after admitting to the common assault of an 11-year-old pupil. Following a hearing at Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, the defendant—of Weaste, Salford—pleaded guilty to five charges of common assault. It was reported that Qureshi landed a teaching post at a secondary school in Stockport in September 2018 despite being under an active prohibition from the teaching profession due to previous “vile” conduct toward pupils in Bolton.
The investigation established that Qureshi had been banned from teaching in 2013 after a Professional Conduct Panel heard he stroked a 15-year-old girl’s arm and tickled her waist while locked in a classroom at St Catherine’s Academy, Bolton. Greater Manchester Police reported that during his time in Stockport, where staff were unaware of his history, Qureshi singled out a Year 7 girl, “Pupil A,” for inappropriate attention. The prosecution reported that he repeatedly told the child she was “gorgeous,” kissed her on the head, stroked her leg, and even sent a postcard to her home address.
Judicial Findings and Investigative Detail
The court reported that Qureshi had failed to apply to have his teaching prohibition lifted before returning to the classroom. Minshull Street Crown Court heard that the defendant claimed his “vicious” over-familiarity was an attempt to motivate pupils and put them at ease. The investigation established that Qureshi had a history of accessing inappropriate websites on school computers and accepting pupils as friends on Facebook, demonstrating a long-standing “sense of entitlement” regarding his “vile” interactions with children in his charge.
Judge Bernadette Baxter presided over the sentencing, noting that Qureshi knew exactly what he was doing and that his behaviour made his young victim feel “uncomfortable in the extreme.” For his actions in Stockport and the previous incidents in Bolton, Qureshi was handed a 12-month community order. The judge noted that although the prosecution accepted a lack of sexual motivation—leading to the lesser charges of common assault—Qureshi’s career was at an end and he had displayed a “vicious” disregard for the professional boundaries he was warned about as early as 2008.
Status and Statutory Requirements
For the practices reported in England, the status of Tariq Qureshi as of April 1, 2026, was as follows:
- Custodial Status: 12-month Community Order (Sentenced 2020; supervision completed).
- Teaching Status: PERMANENTLY PROHIBITED (Teaching Regulation Agency).
- Judicial Oversight: Sentenced at Minshull Street Crown Court, following a Greater Manchester Police investigation.
- Criminal Record: Common assault (5 counts); Previous convictions for fraud and driving offences.
- Employment Restriction: Banned from schools, colleges, and children’s homes in England.
- Origin: Weaste, Salford; formerly taught in Bolton and Stockport, Greater Manchester.
Monitoring and Public Protection
Qureshi is managed as a prohibited former professional within the Greater Manchester area. Due to the nature of his conduct, which involved bypassing a national teaching ban to gain access to vulnerable children, his management is a priority for the Teaching Regulation Agency and local safeguarding boards. Authorities state that the failure of the Stockport school to identify his “vile” history highlights a critical need for more robust background checks on supply teachers hired through agencies.
As a prohibited teacher, Qureshi’s details are permanently logged on the national barred list. Authorities state that his history of crossing boundaries and ignoring previous warnings proves he remains a risk to the integrity of educational settings. Any attempt by Qureshi to seek work in a school in Salford, Stockport, or Bolton, or any attempt to contact former pupils via social media, will result in immediate intervention to ensure the safety of the public and the protection of children from his “inappropriate” and “vicious” over-familiarity.
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