Teacher banned after making ‘stupid’ comment about vagina and firing staples at pupils

A teacher who fired a staple gun at students, dragged a pupil across the floor and made a “stupid comment” about a vagina while in school has been banned from the profession.

Joshua Brandon Lewis used abusive language towards pupils, including the terms “t**t” and “p***k”; placed at least one student in a headlock; and pulled chairs away from under students, causing them to fall to the ground, a panel found.

The 26-year-old was a newly qualified teacher at Carlton le Willows Academy in Gedling, Nottingham, but resigned in May 2018 after a string of complaints.

On Thursday, the findings of a teacher misconduct panel were published which said Mr Lewis had been banned from teaching indefinitely.

The panel found several allegations against Mr Lewis were proven, including that he made derogatory remarks towards pupils such as “blockhead” and “r****d”.

In one incident in December 2017, a pupil described a drawing as looking like her friend’s vagina and Mr Lewis said words to the effect: “If your vagina looks like that you’ve got a problem.”

In an interview after the incident, Mr Lewis said “on reflection, it was a stupid comment”, while the pupil said she had been left feeling “really uncomfortable”, according to the panel.

Other proven allegations against Mr Lewis included:

• He spread glue on a piece of paper before sticking the sheet to the side of a pupil’s face
• He dragged a pupil along the floor after grabbing their leg
• He kicked a chair causing a student to fall to the ground
• He pretended to hit one or more pupils with a metre ruler and tapped at least one student on the head with the object
• He placed his foot above a pupil’s head

Some allegations, including that he told a pupil she had “nice breasts” and that his behaviour was “sexually motivated”, were found not proven by the panel.

The panel described Mr Lewis as a “very inexperienced teacher” and said he had acknowledged himself that he “lost control” of his classroom.

In its ruling, the panel said it “was satisfied that the conduct of Mr Lewis amounted to misconduct of a serious nature which fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession”.

“Accordingly, the panel found that Mr Lewis’ conduct amounted to both unacceptable professional conduct and conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute,” it added.

Alan Meyrick, chief executive of the Teaching Regulation Agency, said: “In my judgement, the lack of insight and remorse means that there is some risk of the repetition of this behaviour and this puts at risk the future well-being of pupils.”

Mr Lewis, who was not present at the public hearing and was not represented, has been banned from teaching in any school and sixth form college in England.

He can apply for the order banning him from teaching to be lifted in March 2022.

(c) Sky News 2020: Teacher banned after making ‘stupid’ comment about vagina and firing staples at pupils