A former Glasgow teacher has criticised Scotland’s teaching watchdog after she was permanently banned from the profession after pupils discovered her OnlyFans account, calling the decision “a bad day for people’s freedom of expression.”
Kirsty Buchan, 34, who taught physics at Bannerman High School, was struck off by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) after it emerged she was posting explicit content under the alias “Jessica Jackrabbit x” while still employed as a teacher.
The GTCS concluded that Buchan, a mother of one, used her teaching role as a “selling tool” on the adult platform, and ruled that her conduct was “fundamentally incompatible with being a registered teacher.”
“Good Teacher Gone Bad”—How the Scandal Unfolded
Buchan’s content was discovered by a group of male pupils in 2022, triggering a school-wide stir and immediate disciplinary attention. Her profile described her as a “good teacher gone bad… really bad,” and promoted sexually explicit content, which she claimed earned her up to £60,000 in a single month.
According to headteacher Seonaidh Black, the incident began when she was approached by excited senior boys who cryptically warned her, “If you haven’t heard, when you do, you’re going to go ballistic. Look out for Jessica Jackrabbit.”
Within hours, the situation had spread throughout the school, with staff also approaching Black to confirm rumours. “It was obvious at this point that everyone knew what was going on,” she told the tribunal.
Buchan, who once attended the school herself as a pupil, resigned in December 2022 before any formal action was completed. She declined to attend her GTCS hearing or offer testimony in her defence.
GTCS Panel: Professional Boundaries “Significantly Blurred”
During the disciplinary hearing, GTCS investigator Hannah Oakley argued that Buchan had failed to properly restrict her bio and profile photo, making her adult content potentially accessible to underage viewers.
Panel member Gary Burton noted that Buchan’s use of her profession in her bio created a direct link between her adult content and her teaching role, blurring the boundaries between personal and professional life. “There was a significant blurring of boundaries between her private life and her professional life,” Burton said.
He added that her conduct made it impossible for her to return to the classroom: “Her actions were fundamentally incompatible with being a registered teacher.”
Buchan: “This Was a Kangaroo Court”
In response to the verdict, Buchan expressed frustration and sadness, denouncing the tribunal as a “kangaroo court” and criticising the process as “heavy-handed.”
“I’m upset even though I knew it would go this way,” she said, adding, “I’d have loved to have carried on with both, but that was taken away from me.”
She described herself as a “loyal and decent” person who adhered to “proper values,” insisting that her OnlyFans activity should not have defined her teaching career.
“It really just makes me feel sad, to give me a life ban and make out that I’m a bad teacher when the opposite is true.”
A Divisive Case With Broader Implications
The incident has sparked widespread debate over teacher privacy, professional standards, and the extent to which educators can engage in outside income-generating activities, particularly in the age of digital platforms.
While critics argue that her actions undermined her professional responsibilities, others have voiced concern about policing the private lives of educators
