Master banned after touching pupil’s thighs

He rubbed her stomach ‘to comfort her’ and grabbed two other children by the wrist
22nd April 2011, 1:00am

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Master banned after touching pupil’s thighs

https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/master-banned-after-touching-pupils-thighs

A teacher who touched a secondary pupil “inappropriately” during a school juggling club has been banned from the profession indefinitely.

Benjamin Beever slapped the top of the girl’s thighs and rubbed her stomach, and he made “unprofessional comments” to pupils implying he was the father of a colleague’s newborn baby.

A General Teaching Council for England (GTC) panel heard that other incidents included asking a female student if her mother was single and if she had a sister who was unattached. His misdemeanours took place while he was being given support to improve his performance.

Mr Beever, who worked at Knutsford High School in Cheshire between 2006 and 2009, admitted grabbing hold of a Year 7 pupil by the wrist and was found to have done the same thing to a Year 8 pupil.

Mr Beever said he rubbed the girl’s stomach “to comfort her” and touched the “upper part of her legs”. GTC vice-chair Sashi Sivaloganathan said there was no “material difference” between the upper leg and the thigh.

Mr Beever admitted allowing children to climb and jump off a climbing wall without using protective equipment during January and February 2008.

He was also found to be “aggressive and intimidating” towards an IT technician working on his laptop, using the word “bollocks” during a “heated” conversation.

He was cleared of making comments implying he was in a relationship with another member of staff - the GTC panel found pupils and not Mr Beever were responsible. But he failed to deny the accusation.

Ms Sivaloganathan said she was impressed with evidence given about Mr Beever’s “personal qualities” by his mother and father and said she banned him with “some reluctance”.

But she added that Mr Beever did not have “the interests of young people” at the forefront of his mind.

“We believe that you are a genuine and honest person. We cannot find, though, that you have shown sufficient insight into the allegations we have considered. You have repeatedly sought to blame others for your failings, are not in tune with the standards required of today’s teaching profession, and have apparently come to the conclusion that the primary reason for not acting as you have in the past is to avoid liability rather than to act in pupils’ best interests,” she said.

“Further, these incidents came in the context of considerable support from the school, with the aim of improving your performance.”

Mr Beever can re-apply to be a registered teacher after two years.

AMPHETAMINES

DRUG CONVICTION

A teacher convicted of allowing “premises” to be used to supply amphetamines, as well as possession of class-A drug cocaine, has been banned from teaching.

Rebecca Perry was cautioned by police in Humberside last May for possession of cocaine. She received a six-month conditional discharge, and a community service order of 120 hours for the offences involving amphetamines, which took place in 1996.

Ms Perry didn’t provide any defence during her GTC hearing last week.

She has been suspended from teaching for a year, at the end of which she must present a medical report to the GTC proving she has not taken drugs for at least six months.

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