Science Teacher Banned From Teaching For Calling Pupils 'Retards'

Science Teacher Banned From Teaching For Calling Pupils 'Retards'
Color letters coming out of young man's mouth
Getty
Color letters coming out of young man's mouth

A science teacher has been banned from the classroom after a disciplinary panel heard he had a history of swearing at children and calling them 'retards'.

Alan Pibworth, 50, was hauled before a professional conduct panel because of his 'aggressive and inappropriate' behaviour at Lode Heath School in Solihull, West Midlands.

The panel heard that on one occasion he shouted at a pupil who called him by his first name and reduced the child to tears.

And he shouted into the faces of two other children and called one child a 't***' in class, and others 'idiots'.

But this wasn't the first time Mr Pibworth had been reprimanded for offensive behaviour.

In February 2010, the teacher was given a two-year reprimand by the General Teaching Council after he admitted shouting at colleagues and children before being sacked as head of science at Woodhouse Business & Enterprise College in Tamworth, Staffordshire.

He then moved to Solihull in 2013 where the panel, now run by the National College for Teaching & Leadership, was told that that Mr Pibworth yelled that some children in his class were 'retards'.

He humiliated a teaching assistant by pointing out a label on her collar which said she was wearing a 'size 20' top - which led to comments from the class. The hearing was told she was left feeling upset and embarrassed.

Mr Pibworth also shouted at teaching colleagues and held a pen at one teacher's face so that she felt intimidated.

Finally, Mr Pibworth was dishonest when he applied for his job in Solihull, the panel heard. He failed to mention his dismissal and instead put on the application form that he wanted a "change of role".

Chairwoman Mary Speakman said the teacher's conduct had fallen 'significantly short of the standards expected of the profession'.

She said: "His behaviour towards colleagues and children was at times aggressive and inappropriate.

"It had the effect of intimidating others."

She said he failed to keep to boundaries when dealing with problems of behaviour and, when challenged by colleagues, failed to act professionally.

"This behaviour, and his dishonesty in incorrectly stating his reason for departure from a previous school, risks undermining public trust in the profession."

She added: "The panel is concerned that the repetition of behavioural patterns suggests Mr Pibworth has not shown significant insight into his previous behaviour or taken adequate steps to modify his approach when interacting with pupils and colleagues."

Paul Heathcote, acting on behalf of Education Secretary Nicky Morgan, banned Mr Pibworth from teaching without ever giving him the chance of overturning the ban.

He said: "The panel are extremely concerned that he has shown no real insight into any of his behaviours."

The teacher was given 28 days in which to appeal against the decision to the High Court.

Close