A business studies teacher has been struck off for swearing, demeaning and disturbing his pupils.
Andrew Gibson was teaching at Westhill Academy in 2017 when complaints were made suggesting he had acted in an appropriate manner.
Now the General Teaching Council has held a fitness to teach hearing and decided to strike him off the register – preventing him from returning to the classroom.
The panel considered 22 allegations. Of those, 13 were upheld and Mr Gibson admitted seven. Two were disregarded.
Teacher was said to have singled out two pupils in particular
The catalogue of complaints about the Aberdeenshire teacher were said to have taken up 95% of the headteachers time and had an impact on the whole school.
Teachers and former pupils of Westhill teacher gave evidence.
He was said to have singled out one young woman and a boy with additional support needs for attention.
Mr Gibson, who was not present for the hearing and did not provide a statement, was found to be unfit to teach, and will not be able to re-apply to the teaching register for two years.
The extensive list of allegations against Mr Gibson date back to February-December 2017 while he was employed by Aberdeenshire Council.
The panel heard that he described work carried out by a pupil as “horribly wrong” in front of the class.
He repeatedly called one pupil “dear” despite being asked not to, and ignored requests by pupils to call them by their preferred names.
In another instance, the teacher told the class not to applaud a pupil’s presentation because it was not good enough.
Threw pupil’s work in a bin in front of him
He refused to give new homework books. One boy who was entitled to additional support by way of the use of pink paper, was made to write on white paper. Each time he handed in work Gibson threw his work in the bin in front of him, and the whole class.
Mr Gibson told classmates not to clap for another pupil in class presentation when the class had been allowed to applaud the presentations of others, having saying the presentation was not good enough.
In another instance, the teacher lay on the school corridor floor.
While admitting some of the allegations, and denying others – Mr Gibson denied that his fitness to teach was impaired.
‘Serious concerns’ were raised about classroom behaviour
The school’s headteacher said she had “serious concerns” with regard to the teacher’s behaviour in the classroom in September 2017.
She told the hearing, she had concerns about the impact of the teacher’s behaviours upon the school.
In particular, that despite the apparent “low level” nature of the incidents, their sheer volume was concerning and had a significant knock-on effect on the running of the school.
She said pupils had reported to her being scared to ask the teacher for help for fear of his ridicule of them and the overall lack of support provided by him.
At the latter stages of his time at the school she estimated he was taking up around 95% of her time.
One pupil witness said Mr Gibson had “grossed (her) out” as a 14-year-old girl.
Another pupil described his behaviour in class as sarcastic, boastful, and aggressive with shouting in every class which, on occasion, turned into ‘screaming’.
Teacher was struck off for behaviour which was ‘exceptionally serious’
The panel considered his behaviour towards pupils to be extremely threatening and of an exceptionally serious nature.
It felt the public would consider the actions of the teacher as misconduct, and that his behaviour fell short of the expected standards – making him unfit to teach.
An Aberdeenshire Council spokeswoman said: “We note the decision of the tribunal. The member of staff is no longer employed by the council.”
In full: the allegations against Mr Gibson
1. Acted inappropriately towards pupils by
- calling Pupil A ‘dear’ despite requests by her not to do so (admitted/proved)
- stating you would not be teaching Pupil A because she had removed her jumper in class (admitted)
- refusing to allow Pupil A to sit with other pupils during class without good reason, causing her to feel isolated and picked on (proved)
- repeatedly failing to call pupils by their preferred name, despite requests by pupils to use their preferred names (admitted)
- telling your class not to applaud Pupil B’s presentation because it was not good enough to deserve the praise (proved)
- describing working carried out by Pupil C as ‘horribly wrong’ in front of the National 5 business studies class (proved)
- making Pupil C repeatedly carry out the same piece of work on white paper
i) despite the pupil being subject to additional assessment arrangements which prescribed the use of pink paper (admitted)
ii) then discarding his completed work into a bin in front of him (admitted)
- informing Pupil C that he would have to prove to you that his Additional Assessments Arrangements were still required, when such a request was not the correct procedure to follow (admitted)
- telling the National 5 business class that if they did not do well enough an assessment, they would be removed from the National 5 course which was not the case, causing distress to Pupil D (proved)
- refusing to assist pupils when they were asking for help (proved/admitted)
- mocking Pupil E by pretending to flick your hair as an impression (proved)
- inappropriately shouting at pupils in such a manner to cause them to feel intimidated (proved)
- boasting to pupils that you had stolen chocolate bars from a school you had previously worked (proved)
- refusing to give Pupil F a new homework booklet after he advised you had lost his homework booklet, meaning he could not complete his tasks (admitted)
- inappropriately lying on the school corridor floor during a lesson with pupils (proved)
2) Failed to behave professionally towards colleagues by:
- describing teacher one’s behaviour towards you as ‘bullying’ and victimising’ when you had no reasonable grounds to do so (proved)
- during a meeting with teacher one, cowering in a corner of the room and stating ‘what would it look like if someone passed your office and I am in the corner’ (proved)
- making derogatory remarks in front of your pupils about the lessons taught by teacher two to your National 5 (proved)
