Teacher holds primary school pupil upside down by her ankles 'to cheer her up'
Teacher holds primary school pupil upside down by her ankles 'to cheer her up'
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A trainee music teacher who was arrested after holding a schoolgirl upside down by her ankles to “cheer her up” has escaped a ban. In February 2022 a parent complained to Seascale School in Cumbria when Sean Haythornthwaite lifted their daughter and held her upside down in front of other children. He was arrested and charged but failed to inform his bosses at Cumbria County Council.
A Teaching Regulation Agency ruling, published this week, reveals the teacher's first court appearance was on Tuesday April 19 but he lied about why he was absent from an inset day. He later insisted he had not been trying to mislead his employer but had difficulty communicating with his boss.
A week later, Mr Haythornthwaite informed his bosses of the charge against him and he was suspended. On July 22, 2022, he was convicted of assault and sentenced to 150 hours of unpaid work and told to pay £100 compensation. He resigned two months later.
Witnesses to the incident involving the pupil described feeling "utterly shocked" with one saying he "seemed broken" afterwards. Witness A said she was “utterly shocked" when she heard about the allegation. She said “I couldn’t believe it. It was “very much out of character”. She described Mr Haythornthwaite as always having a “quiet and calm” manner, LancashireLive reported.
