A secondary school teacher who had a sexual relationship with one of her students has told a court she is truly sorry for what happened and accepts full responsibility.

The woman, who cannot be named to protect the student's identity, will be sentenced on Thursday.

The woman was 23 when she met the boy in a nightclub two years ago.

He was 15-years-old and a student in the secondary school where she worked as a substitute teacher.

The court heard they chatted and she hugged him in the club.

They continued to chat in school and through Snapchat.

Her sentence hearing heard she bought him a gift for his 16th birthday and had sex with him for the first time on that date.

She booked a room for them in a hotel two weeks later where they had sex for a second time.

When the boy's mother found out he was in a relationship with his teacher, she went straight to the school before reporting it to Gardaí.

The woman, who is now 25, accepts full responsibility for what happened and said she was truly sorry for what she did.

She said she was naïve and has since been disqualified from teaching.

Through his Victim Impact Statement, the court heard the boy developed psychological problems and life-threatening anxiety after the relationship.

The woman will be sentenced on Thursday.

Reporting by Frank Greaney