A Derbyshire teacher has been banned from the profession for at least three years after he “took the law into his own hands” and beat a child just days before starting a new teaching position.
Stuart Maxwell, 55, was convicted of assaulting a pupil by beating in an incident that occurred at his previous school shortly before he joined The Ripley Academy.
The teacher was later dismissed from his position when the assault came to light, with a professional conduct panel determining that confidence in the teaching profession could be “seriously weakened” if his actions were not treated with the “utmost seriousness”.
The assault took place on December 20 2022, with Maxwell starting his new role at The Ripley Academy on January 1, 2023.
The secondary school was initially unaware of Maxwell’s actions when he joined their staff
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The secondary school was initially unaware of Maxwell’s actions when he joined their staff.
He later pleaded guilty to assaulting a child by beating at Derby Magistrates Court on June 26, 2023, which occurred outside of school hours and settings.
Maxwell was ordered to pay a £120 fine, £100 compensation, £85 prosecution costs and a £48 victim surcharge at court.
A professional conduct panel found that he had acted in the “heat of the moment” and “took the law into his own hands”.
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The panel noted that while the fine indicated the offence was at the lower end of the severity spectrum, Maxwell’s behaviour could impact the safety of pupils and the public.
They believed that he had responded “inappropriately” to a situation where, by his own admission, he was “being provoked by a child”.
“I wish to say that I wholeheartedly regret ever going to [redacted],” Maxwell said. “I should not have gone, I know this and if I could turn back time I would.”
The prohibition order means Maxwell cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England, although he will be eligible to apply for the order to be set aside no earlier than January 17, 2028.
Maxwell pleaded guilty to assaulting a child by beating at Derby Magistrates Court in 2023
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A spokesman for East Midlands Education Trust said: “The assault on a child, which has led to the prohibition from teaching of Maxwell, occurred on December 20, 2022.
“Maxwell did not become an employee of the East Midlands Education Trust until January 1 2023 and, at the time, we were not aware of this assault.”
“The child in question was not a pupil at any of our schools,” the spokesman added.
“When this matter was disclosed to us we followed our normal HR procedures.”
The trust confirmed that following Maxwell’s conviction in June 2023, he was dismissed from their employment and the matter was referred to the Teaching Regulation Agency.