Teacher cleared of assaulting pupil (From Gazette Series)

Teacher cleared of assaulting pupil

3:31pm Monday 27th October 2008 in News By Liza-Jane Gillespie

UNION leaders have called for a primary school teacher to be reinstated after he was cleared of assaulting a pupil.

Ian Seaton, 47, of Bristol, was cleared of common assault following a hearing at North Avon Magistrates' Court last week, but is still not allowed to return to the classroom.

It was claimed Mr Seaton, who is a teacher at Wellesley Primary School, Yate, assaulted a nine-year-old boy who had been misbehaving during an assembly and singing practice.

The year three form teacher and music specialist has been on suspension since March of this year, when the incident happened, and despite being cleared by the courts still has to await the outcome of an investigation by local education chiefs before he can return to work.

Mr Seaton has been advised not to speak directly to the press until he has been reinstated.

Anji Couch, regional official of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), who have been representing Mr Seaton locally throughout his ordeal, said: "We are delighted the court has exonerated Mr Seaton and judged he acted reasonably to remove a disruptive pupil whose behaviour was putting other pupils at risk.

"Mr Seaton was conducting a whole school assembly where he was the only adult in a room of 210 pupils. "It’s a victory for common sense and justice. We will vigorously fight false allegations against school staff wherever and when ever they occur.

"We hope Mr Seaton will be reinstated by the school as soon as possible so that he can return to the job he loves."

ATL’s solicitor, Sharon Liburd, said schools should think again about their policy to automatically suspend staff who have been accused of assault, irrespective of the circumstances.

She said: "If a decision is made to suspend, it should be reviewed at regular intervals. This tends not to happen, leaving the member of staff feeling isolated, often for many months.

"Meanwhile, they feel powerless and unable to defend themselves against rumours circulating in the school community about the reasons for their absence."

A South Gloucestershire Council spokesman said: “Mr Seaton was suspended from his teaching post at Wellesley Primary School in March 2008 following an incident with a pupil. “He was subsequently charged with assault but has been found not guilty. He remains suspended from duty, as it will be necessary to consider this matter under the school and council’s internal staffing procedures.”