Nottinghamshire teacher banned after vagina comment

Joshua Brandon Lewis resigned from Carlton-le-Willows Academy after complaints were made about him

A newly-qualified teacher who admitted making a "stupid comment" about a pupil's vagina has been banned from the profession.

Joshua Brandon Lewis also shot at pupils with a staple gun, placed one or more in a headlock, and pulled chairs from under them.

He resigned from Carlton le Willows Academy in Nottinghamshire in May 2018, after working there less than a year.

The Teaching Regulation Agency has now found he breached standards.

• Latest news and stories from the East Midlands

The vagina comment was made after one pupil described a drawing as looking like her friend's vagina.

Mr Lewis said words to the effect of: "If your vagina looks like that, you've got a problem."

Several pupils heard him making the comment and he admitted it when he was interviewed, saying "on reflection, it was a stupid comment".

Mr Lewis fired staples at pupils

Mr Lewis, a maths teacher, joined the school in September 2017 when he was 23.

Complaints were first made only a few months later, in December, about him making inappropriate comments to female pupils.

The school launched an initial investigation then referred the matter to the Teacher Regulation Agency (TRA).

The TRA asked him to attend a professional conduct panel but he did not do so. The hearing went ahead anyway and several allegations were proved.

These included dragging a pupil along the floor by his leg, causing a carpet burn to his left shoulder blade, firing staples at pupils from a staple gun, pulling chairs from under pupils so they fell to the ground and kicking a chair, causing a pupil to fall to the ground.

The TRA panel found him guilty of unacceptable professional conduct, and conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute.

Carlton le Willows Academy head teacher Craig Weaver said: "We welcome the outcome of the hearing and are pleased that it has reached its conclusion this week.

"It is important our students, parents and staff know that we will always listen to their concerns and that we continue to demand the highest level of professionalism from all academy staff."

Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].