A Brentwood teacher caught emailing a student promising “a big award” if he got into Cambridge has been scolded by a panel – though it decided no further action was necessary.

Qingqing Duan, a teacher at Brentwood School, was found guilty by the secretary of state on all allegations brought against her, and to have been “guilty of unacceptable professional conduct and/or conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute”.

However, due to mitigating circumstances and following a recommendation from a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel, it was decided she should not be banned from future teaching.

Regardless, she was dismissed by Brentwood School following a disciplinary meeting.

The allegations against Ms Duan primarily revolved around her failure to maintain appropriate professional boundaries with students at the school.

In one instance, the panel heard she gave a student her phone number and asked if they saw her “as a teacher, girlfriend, friend or soulmate”.

In another, she emailed the same student saying: “You might be my first student who goes to Cambridge [smile face emoji]. You can ask me for a big award if you make it.”

Referring to a series of letters alleged to have been handed to pupils, the panel heard she told them: “Don’t do anything silly if you want to be friends and destroy the letter/the paper.”

In a report on the hearing’s outcome, the panel noted Ms Duan admitted the facts of all of the allegations, and that “these facts amounted to unacceptable professional conduct and/or conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute”.

Explaining their recommendation, the panel acknowledged that some of the behaviour meant a prohibition order may have been appropriate.

However, it noted Ms Duan’s “remorse" and she had “voluntarily undertaken additional safeguarding training”.

Accepting the panel’s recommendations, Sarah Buxcey - on behalf of the secretary of state - wrote a banning order “is not proportionate or in the public interest”.

Publication of the findings has been deemed sufficient to send a message to Ms Duan that her behaviour failed to meet the standards required, Ms Buxcey said.

Brentwood School headmaster Michael Bond said: “The safety of our children is fundamental to the ethos of Brentwood and we are justifiably proud of the robust processes in place to protect them.

"Safeguarding those in our care is, and always will be, our top priority.”