Teacher avoids ban over bottle-throwing rant
- Published
Darren Burt had worked at St Lawrence Academy for 13 years
A teacher who threw a water bottle after a pupil provoked and verbally abused him has avoided a classroom ban.
Darren Burt became "aggressive" when the boy swore at him, and said he would be "picking his teeth off the ground" if he spoke that way outside school.
The maths teacher was found guilty of common assault and dismissed from St Lawrence Academy, Scunthorpe, after the pupil's mother reported him to police.
A panel ruled against a teaching ban over the "one-off error of judgment".
The misconduct hearing was told that Mr Burt, an experienced teacher who had worked at the school since 2009, became caught up in an altercation with the pupil after telling him not to drink in the hallway.
After the boy swore and verbally abused Mr Burt, he was sent to an isolation room, according to the panel's report, external.
At this point the teacher became aggressive, threw the boy's water bottle across the room and moved a table to stop him from exiting, the report said.
Mr Burt, who had been promoted to head of year and head of mathematics in his time at the school, was given a conditional discharge by Humberside magistrates in February last year.
In its findings, the Teaching Regulation Authority said his conduct had fallen significantly short of the standards expected of teachers despite "significant provocation".
The panel said it had taken into account the fact that Mr Burt was facing significant pressures in his personal life, and was provoked by the boy.
It also noted evidence from a witness who said they didn't believe he was threatening the pupil but was trying to explain the potential real world consequences of his behaviour.
The panel also heard from colleagues on the positive impact he had during his career, particularly with students with emotional and learning needs.
Mr Burt said he was "immensely sorry" and apologised to the boy and his family for the upset.
A spokesperson for the school said: "The academy has very clear disciplinary policies in place to support its own internal processes.
"Mr Burt has not worked in the academy since the start of February 2019 and his employment was ended by the academy in July 2019."
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