A teacher has been banned from the classroom indefinitely after throwing a pupil out of an open doorway into the playground. Joseph Luttman, who taught at Marland School in Barnstaple, admitted pushing the child, known as Pupil A, causing him to fall to the floor, then pushing him again before throwing him outside, where he landed on his back.
The incident occurred during a lesson when Pupil A and another pupil, Pupil B, were chasing each other around the classroom. According to a statement of agreed facts, Luttman pushed Pupil A, who fell, then pushed him into Pupil B twice before picking him up by the right arm and shoulder and throwing him out of the doorway onto the garden area.
Pupil A's mother emailed the school on 7 September 2023, asking for an explanation and why she had not been asked to sign an accident form. The following day, she alleged her son had been hurt by a member of staff and had bruises, scrapes and marks on his body and head. A multi-agency strategy meeting was convened, involving the school, the Local Authority Designated Officer, and the police.
In January 2024, Luttman accepted a police caution for assault by beating, contrary to section 39 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988. The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) agreed to his request for the allegations to be shared without a hearing. He admitted unacceptable professional conduct and signed a statement of agreed facts.
The panel found that Luttman had fallen “significantly short of the standards expected of the profession” and had breached safeguarding guidance, including Keeping Children Safe in Education. His actions were described as “threatening and intimidating” and inappropriate for an adult towards a young child. CCTV footage showed he had not used reasonable force.
Luttman was also found to have sought to distract Pupil A from reporting the incident to his mother by poking and tickling him while he was in a car seat. The assistant head teacher had initially downplayed the incident, saying no accidents were reported and that Luttman had bumped into the pupil and they had “a giggle about it.” Luttman has been prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach.
