A teacher has been banned from classrooms for life after being found guilty of sexual misconduct with a pupil at a Croydon school.

Daniel Bowles, 35, hugged and kissed the teenage girl and told her she was "cute" while he was employed as a religious studies teacher.

The misconduct came to light after the secondary school’s headteacher was shown text messages sent by Bowles to the 17-year-old last year.

The headteacher raised concerns about the messages with Bowles May last year, when he admitted sending them and kissing the girl.

He resigned the next day.

Police subsequently cautioned Bowles under the Sexual Offences Act for a sexual act with a girl aged 13 to 17 and for abusing his position of trust.

The teacher faced a National College for Teaching and Leadership panel this month to establish whether he was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct.

The panel heard that Bowles began "making comments" to the pupil in September 2013, five months after starting work at the school, which cannot be named for legal reasons, and would tell her “that his day was complete when marking her into the register”.

He exchanged mobile phone numbers and texts with the girl, described by the panel as “vulnerable”, and signed off his messages with a kiss.

The teacher admitted telling the pupil she was “cute” and hugging her when she explained she was depressed.

Weeks after the first hug he said to the teenager, “Should we?” and hugged her again before kissing her.

The teacher’s conduct fell "significantly short of the standard of behaviour expected of a teacher," said the panel’s report, published on Monday.

It added: “Mr Bowles has admitted that his actions were sexually motivated.

"[The pupil] was a vulnerable student. Mr Bowles’ actions were considered and the conduct continued over a period of time.

"In these circumstances, the panel finds Mr Bowles’s actions to have been serious sexual misconduct."

The panel acknowledged that the teacher "regrets his actions and is sorry for them," but noted Bowles had sought to “diminish the severity of his actions” by stating “there was a peck on the cheek”, instead of admitting his responsibility for the kiss.

The teacher also asked the school not to mention the misconduct in a potential employment reference when he was applying for a job at another school.

The panel, which takes decisions on behalf of the Secretary of State for Education, banned Bowles indefinitely from teaching in any school, sixth-form college or children’s home.

It ruled the offence was so serious Bowles should not be allowed to apply to teach again.

He has the right to appeal the ruling at the High Court within 28 days.