A teacher from one of Singapore's top schools entered into a relationship with a female student and committed indecent acts on her at his workplace.

On one occasion, he slipped his hand underneath her pinafore and touched her private parts. On another occasion, he pressed his body against hers and said: "I can do anything now."

The offences took place in 2011 when the student was aged 15 and he was 36. The Singaporean man, now 46, pleaded guilty in a district court yesterday to two charges under the Children and Young Persons Act.

Details of the offender and the school cannot be disclosed owing to a gag order to protect the identity of the victim, now 24.

The court heard that the victim returned to the school in 2014 as a relief teacher and began showing signs of an eating disorder.

In 2016, the man left the school and about two years later, the victim told a woman teacher about the relationship and a police report was made in October 2018.

Court documents did not say why she decided to break her silence.

Yesterday, Deputy Public Prosecutor Asoka Markandu told the court the man got to know the victim when he taught her in 2010.

The offender was also the teacher-in-charge of a co-curricular activity and she was its student leader. The man and the girl started to share details about their personal lives in September 2010.

By the end of February 2011, they were in a relationship and would hold hands when they were alone in school.

Sometime between March and May 2011, when they were alone in a room at the school, he grabbed her wrists, held them up against a wall, pressed his body against hers and said: "I can do anything now."

He released her about 15 seconds later, the court heard.

They were in the room on another occasion when he touched her private parts, taking her by surprise, the DPP said.

They broke up shortly after the June 2011 school holidays when he told her the relationship was over. But they continued to keep in contact with each other.

The victim returned to the school in 2014 as a relief teacher for six months, during which she developed an eating disorder. They finally ceased all communication in November 2016.

In August 2018, she told a woman teacher at the school about her relationship with the man. The principal made a police report on Oct 2, 2018.

When contacted, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said the man was no longer working for it when the incident was reported in 2018.

Its spokesman added: "MOE takes a serious view of staff misconduct and will not hesitate to take disciplinary action against those who fail to adhere to our standards of conduct and discipline, including dismissal from service."

The man is now out on bail of $10,000 and the case has been adjourned to Dec 8.