SOAP fans across the country cheered when Coronation Street teacher Ken Barlow smacked smug pupil Ade across the face.

But like many real-life teachers the veteran cast member, who has only recently returned to teaching, now faces assault charges and is likely to be dismissed.

The story line had a particular significance for the soap’s chief researcher - she spent six years as an English and drama teacher at a secondary school in the North-west.

She says she rarely tells her contacts which programme she works for, to protect future story lines.

Her early research involved looking at real-life cases, such as Welsh headteacher Marjorie Evans, who was cleared on appeal of smacking a 10-year-old pupil. “Our stories are fictitious but we do want them to feel realistic, so I started by looking through articles in The TES.”

The researcher then contacted heads and union officials in Manchester to check how they would handle the incident.

Scriptwriters for the soap, many of whom are former teachers, started planning the classroom incident more than a year ago and are now finalising plots for mid-2003.

More than 14.8 million people last week saw Mr Barlow, played by William Roache, strike pupil Ade Critchley, played by 16-year-old Dean Ashton. He is now suspended on full pay.

The back-handed smack came in response to months of provocation by the unruly student, who stole his teacher’s car and crashed it, nearly killing another pupil.

But Eamonn O’Kane, general secretary of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers, said that the union would have difficulties defending Mr Barlow because it was a clear case of assault.

“Whatever the provocation, a teacher must never take such action,” he said. “Even if there was a self-defence argument - but there isn’t in Ken Barlow’s case.”

The NASUWT has dealt with more than 1,200 incidents in the past decade where teachers have been suspended on charges of abuse. Fewer than 50 have not been reinstated after a police interview.

Mr Barlow has now taken a break in the Canary islands which some teachers complain is unrealistic because suspended staff have to be available to return to school.

Coronation Street spokeswoman Alison Sinclair described the teacher’s holiday as “dramatic licence”. Cleared head Marjorie Evans said fellow teachers had been telling her about the plotline, but she was not planning to watch it. “It’s probably a good thing he’s taking a holiday” she said. “He must be quite relaxed about the case.”

The signs look grim though for teachers hoping that Ken Barlow will continue as their most famous colleague: Coronation Street’s researcher revealed she has been having lengthy conversation with teaching union pension experts.