A primary school teacher has been banned from the classroom after dragging a young child across the floor “like a child dragging a teddy”. Georgina Graham, an early years foundation stage teacher at Hunningley Primary School in Barnsley, was suspended in 2023 following allegations of common assault against two pupils.
The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel heard witness statements describing an incident where Ms Graham dragged a screaming child, referred to as Pupil A, across the floor with one hand. Witness E reported hearing the child scream “no stop let go” as the lower half of her body went limp. Another witness likened the action to a child dragging a teddy or doll.
In a separate incident involving Pupil B, Ms Graham was found to have used “inappropriate and/or excessive force”. She grabbed the pupil’s wrists without warning, raised them above his head, and then let his body “dangle” before dragging him into a hall and dropping him on the floor, laughing and saying “oh you can stay there then”. Witness D said the pupil “wasn’t doing anything” and no one was at risk.
A TRA panel decided to indefinitely ban Ms Graham from teaching, with no possibility of appeal for three years. The panel expressed concern that she might repeat her actions, noting that she had challenged the seriousness of the conduct but provided no evidence of training or steps to manage future loss of control.
The panel report stated: “Ms Graham ought to have exercised self-control over her own actions.” Police had investigated the incidents but took no further action. Graham had worked at the school for nearly a decade before her suspension.
