A teacher has won his fight to save his career after he grabbed an unruly pupil climbing out of a window.
Adrian Dursely, 33, faced being struck off after he was seen holding the ten-year-old boy who clambered on to the windowsill.
He told a disciplinary hearing in Cardiff he feared for the schoolboy’s safety after the pupil climbed on to a windowsill to escape the classroom.
The Education Workforce Council ruled the primary school teacher can remain in the classroom – despite finding he had breached policies on handling children.
Adrian Dursely, pictured, faced being struck off after he was seen holding the ten-year-old boy who clambered onto the windowsill
It ruled Mr Dursely was in charge of the ‘challenging’ class and that the child was unhurt.
The hearing in Cardiff heard Mr Dursely used excessive force by ‘grabbing’ and ‘swinging’ the boy through the air, before escorting him ‘briskly’ from the classroom.
The unruly pupil – referred to as Pupil A – had been toppling over chairs after becoming upset at not being allowed to go to the playground during lunch.
He jumped up onto the windowsill to try and escape only for the primary school teacher to grab him by his left arm.
Dursley was teaching at Court School in Llanishen, Cardiff, a primary school for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties, when the incident happened in 2016.
Colleague Elizabeth Webb, who was observing the lesson, said Mr Dursley approached the child and ‘gripped his hand over the pupil’s left forearm’.
Then using a ‘clenched’ hand raised the pupil’s arm over his head and into the air.
She said Mr Dursley ‘lifted’ the child ‘off the ground’ and ‘swung’ him around to face the doorway.
Another teacher, John Seaward, said he heard Mr Dursley shouting loudly like ‘someone had been hurt or property had been damaged’.
When he went into the classroom he saw the teacher ‘escort’ pupil A out ‘quite briskly’.
Court School in Llanishen, Cardiff, a primary school for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties
He also said he felt the teacher ‘may have used an excessive amount of force’.
The pupil – who suffers ‘complex emotional and behavioural problems’ – was known to have been aggressive and violent in the past.
The child suffered no injuries.
Dursley denied the allegations, but the disciplinary panel found them proved and said his conduct amounted to unacceptable professional conduct.
Panel chair Helen Robbins said: ‘The class that Mr Dursley taught was one of the most challenging within the school.
‘This was an isolated incident of physical intervention of pupil A which took place in a matter of minutes.
‘There was no evidence of physical harm to pupil A.
‘The conduct is at the lower end of the scale. His behaviour was unacceptable and must not happen again.’
Mr Dursley was given a two-year reprimand which will allow him to continue teaching.
The sanction means that Mr Dursley can continue to teach, and after two years the reprimand will be wiped from his record.
The reprimand will begin with immediate effect and he has 28 days to appeal.