Teacher inappropriately rubbed pupils' hands as a way to 'keep peace' in Covid

12 March 2024 , 14:56

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Concerns were raised over the teacher's actions inside a Covid hub at Williamsburgh Primary School (Image: Google Street View)

A teacher has been banned from classrooms after he inappropriately touched his pupils during Covid.

David White, who worked at Williamsburgh Primary School in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland, got a child to straddle his legs, touched the backs of pupils and placed his hand close to their bottoms whilst holding the back of their chairs. He was first hit with allegations when he taught children in a Covid Hub in 2021.

Other accusations included him holding and rubbing the hands of pupils as a way to "keep the peace" during the pandemic. The teacher was confronted with the complaints at the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS). He confessed to several of the allegations but his lawyer told the disciplinary body that he rubbed the children's hands to try and reduce the stress of the pandemic.

The teacher rejected the idea that he was unfit to teach. However, a panel found he had committed further inappropriate acts, reports The Scottish Sun. White pulled one pupil towards him so the pupil straddled his leg and he also looked at a pupil's exposed stomach and went on to ask the child to repeat the action four times.

He further placed his toes under the stomach of one pupil just below the hips while the class was watching a film. White claimed he had stretched out his legs and accidentally touched someone's foot, but later said he had tapped the boy on the leg with his foot to get his attention and admitted it was "obscure". A panel ruled he was unfit to teach and White has now been struck off for his conduct. They decided White had shown 'limited insight and remorse' and said there 'remained concerns' about the protection of the public.

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In a written ruling, the GTCS said: "The panel had concluded that there had been an abuse of trust; there was potential for harm; the teacher had not fully admitted the allegations and had not demonstrated full reflection, insight, remorse and fully addressed the regulatory concerns identified. The panel had also concluded that the matter was not an isolated incident. We determined that the public interest requires the removal of registration."

White will be banned from reapplying to become a teacher for 18 months. The GTCS said it would allow him to 'reflect' on his conduct and allow him the chance to develop 'insight' and 'demonstrate remediation'.

Monica Charsley