Teacher banned after restraining two primary school pupils by grabbing their arms

Christopher Green, 32, took hold of the pupils during two separate incidents at Seascape Primary School, in November 2018.

A Teaching Regulation Agency misconduct panel found his actions “amounted to misconduct of a serious nature which fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession”.

During a misconduct hearing, Mr Green said the restraints were not inappropriate and he had complied with procedures at the school in County Durham.

The teacher, who had received training on the use of restraints, said he used an open-handed hold, known as a ‘Caring C’, on a pupil on November 6, before taking hold of his forearm to stop him from falling backwards into a fence.

But a witness told the hearing that the pupil was clearly being restrained and “in some distress”, and there was no risk of him falling into the fence.

The panel ruled that the restraint was “inappropriate” and there was “no justification to maintain the hold for any safety reason”.

When asked about the second incident, on November 12, Mr Green said he used the ‘Caring C’ hold on “distressed” pupil, but did not restrain him.

But the panel found that he had restrained the pupil by the arm “without sufficient justification” as he was trying to “simply secure compliance with an instruction”.

In a report, the panel stated Mr Green, who had a good teaching record, did not intend to cause harm and there was “no evidence of any injury”.

But it also concluded that a banning order was “both proportionate and appropriate”.

The report stated: “Mr Green was an experienced teacher who was familiar with the restraint processes and procedures at the School.

“Prior to the incidents he had an opportunity to remedy any shortfalls in his practice and ensure that he followed such procedures effectively. Mr Green failed to do so on two occasions, and in doing so created a risk of harm to pupils.”

It added: “The actions were short in duration, and at the lower end of the spectrum of severity, but nevertheless the breach of standards was clear and obvious and could and should have been avoided.”