A teacher has been struck off after leaving a young Aberdeenshire pupil to cry on his own for 20 minutes without offering help.
Alison Hepburn faced a General Teaching Council of Scotland (GTCS) hearing following the incident at an unknown school in February 2019.
On the same day, a council education official also saw the teacher grab another pupil by the wrist and pull his hand back as he tried to put the lid on a jar.
Before the incidents, Ms Hepburn had an “unblemished teaching career” of almost 40 years.
She retired due to ill health during Aberdeenshire Council’s investigation into the incidents.
Youngster was left crying
A witness told the GTCS hearing that a boy was crying on and off for 20 minutes with the teacher telling him to wash his face.
The witness said she sat next to the boy but because she did not know him she was of the view her presence would not be comforting.
She also told the GTCS panel she saw the other pupil try to put the lid on a jar and Ms Hepburn said ‘I told you we were not tidying up just now.’
During her own evidence, Ms Hepburn told GTCS officials the young boy who cried had special needs.
She said that she told him to wash his face so he could escape the situation before the next activity, which she knew he enjoyed, began.
Ms Hepburn also said she was worried the other pupil with the jar would spill beads on the floor and she had tried to scoop them out of his hand.
She added she wanted to avoid a “tidy up disaster” and her reaction was “instinctive”.
Ms Hepburn also mentioned her mental health during the hearing but this evidence was heard in private.
Concern about ‘no remorse’
The GTCS report said: “She has stated that she had no intention of going back to classroom teaching.
“The Panel considered that whilst the shortfalls identified were at the lower end of the spectrum and were capable of being remedied.
“It was concerned that the teacher considered that she had not done anything wrong and had expressed no remorse.
“The panel determined, with regret, that the only option available to it was that of removal.”
An Aberdeenshire Council spokesman said: “We note the ruling by the General Teaching Council for Scotland that the teacher concerned has been removed from the teaching register.
“The safety and welfare of children in Aberdeenshire is always our priority and we can confirm that the person is no longer employed by us as a teacher.”
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