Birmingham PE teacher banned for slapping boy's knees

A PE teacher who slapped a four-year-old's knees when he had a tantrum in an after-school class has been banned.

Ian Webber, 56, was convicted of assaulting the boy after "losing his rag" in February 2019.

A misconduct panel has now decided the teacher, who worked at Coppice School in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, is to be banned from the profession.

The panel found the actions of Mr Webber, who did not attend proceedings, were "unacceptable".

The review said the teacher, from Polesworth, north Warwickshire, had been issued with a warning prior to assaulting the boy after flicking a child's throat in 2016 but his "conduct towards young children had become worse".

It said the "risk of repeat was clear and obvious", adding Mr Webber had a "glaring lack of remorse concerning what he did and clear lack of insight into its effect".

Mr Webber denied hitting the pupil twice during the incident in May 2018 which Birmingham Magistrates Court heard unfolded after the teacher was kicked when he told the boy not to pull post-it notes from a display.

He maintained his innocence before the misconduct panel despite his conviction which saw him subjected to a six-month conditional discharge.

In mitigation, the panel said Mr Webber, a teacher since 2002, had no previous referrals to the Teaching Regulation Agency and "a large number of letters expressing support for [him] and his quality as a teacher" had been submitted.

However it found this did not counterbalance the risk of further incidents if Mr Webber was permitted to continue teaching.

The ban is indefinite and applies to all schools, sixth-form colleges youth accommodation and children's homes in England.

The decision, taken on 9 February, also prohibits Mr Webber from applying for restoration of his eligibility to teach.

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