A teacher jailed for bludgeoning his cheating wife to death has been banned from the classroom for life.

Art and design teacher Mark Parnham was jailed for six years in January last year for the manslaughter of his wife Jillian, 38, in the lounge of their family home.

Parnham, 38, hit maths teacher Jillian with a metal bar more than 30 times while their two young sons were asleep upstairs after she admitted having an affair with a colleague.

He told police intruders had broken in and attacked his wife but later confessed to the killing.

A committee of the General Teaching Council for England yesterday banned Parnham from teaching for life.

The committee took an hour to decide Parnham's actions fell below the standards expected of a teacher and issued him with an indefinite prohibition order.

Presenting officer Bradley Albuery told the hearing a "verbal confrontation" had occurred between Parnham and his wife at their home in Millmead, Ashington, near Storrington, after he confronted her about her relationship with maths teacher Christopher Worth, 47.

The committee heard it was the love triangle between the three teachers at Millais School in Horsham which triggered the tragedy.

Suspicious of his wife's affair, Parnham searched her handbag on March 5, 2001, and discovered condoms.

A vicious argument followed during which Jillian admitted having an affair with Mr Worth.

During his trial, Parnham insisted his wife had picked up the bar, which he had brought home from school for a project, and began hitting him.

He described how in a "moment of madness" he snatched it off her, lashed out and kept hitting her.

Parnham later told police: "I am not human. I don't deserve to live."

The hearing heard how several teachers from the all-girls secondary school told the jury Parnham was an "excellent" teacher who never showed signs of aggression.

Parnham, who was not represented at the hearing, was "very well liked by staff and pupils and concerned for the welfare of children".

Mr Albuery told the committee although Parnham's conviction was not directly related to his teaching ability, they could find him guilty of "unacceptable professional conduct".

Issuing the committee's decision statement, chairwoman Gail Mortimer said: "We are satisfied this offence is a relevant offence and that his actions fall short of the standards expected of a registered teacher.

"We are entirely satisfied Mr Parnham is guilty of unprofessional conduct. The committee has decided unanimously that he will be prohibited from teaching for an indefinite period."

Parnham met Jillian a month after taking up a post as an art and graphics teacher at Millais in September 1987.

According to colleagues, it was "love at first sight" and they married the following year.