A teaching assistant at a Penparcau school has been banned from the classroom for two years after a panel found she behaved in an unacceptable manner.

Joan Morgan, who was a learning support worker at Ysgol Llwyn yr Eos was found to have inserted her finger into a child’s mouth and pulled a pupil by the arm by the Fitness to Practice Committee of the Education Workforce Council (EWC).

The incident took place on 16 June 2023 and the hearing was told that Mrs Morgan had shouted at Pupil A, a child with complex learning needs in the dining hall, pulled the child by the arm and inserted her finger into the pupil’s mouth.

Pupil A had taken a chocolate bar from another child.

On the issue of putting her finger in the child’s mouth, Mrs Morgan claimed any contact was “incidental”.

Other teachers disputed this claim.

The committee went on to find it proven that Mrs Morgan's conduct had constituted unacceptable professional conduct, stating it felt Mrs Morgan, “had behaved in a way that was inappropriate and unacceptable” and that her “actions fell short of the standards expected of a registered person.”

Education Workforce Council panel chairwoman Michelle McBreeze issued Mrs Morgan with a prohibition order, meaning she is unable to teach for two years. She will be allowed to apply to re-join the teaching register after 21 May 2028.

Ms McBreeze added that the committee was of the view that Mrs Morgan’s conduct was fundamentally incompatible with being a registered person at this time, placing particular emphasis on her lack of insight demonstrated over a long period of time, having not reflected on the conduct, as found proven by the committee.

She went on to say the conduct had amounted to a serious, unjustifiable physical intervention against a vulnerable pupil.