A mathematics teacher has been banned from teaching for at least five years following an incident at De Ferrers Academy in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, where he was recorded pushing a pupil. Christopher Clarkson, 46, was shown on CCTV footage physically restraining and verbally abusing students who were allegedly vandalizing a post at the school in October 2024.

According to the disciplinary hearing, Clarkson followed the students and told them to stop before grabbing one boy’s coat. The student then swore at him, prompting Clarkson to respond with profanity and physical actions. The footage showed the teacher pushing one student into a wall and pushing another in the chest, using his physical presence to corner one pupil in a corridor and prevent him from leaving. Clarkson admitted to grabbing the front of the student’s shirt in the heat of the exchange.

Clarkson gave a written statement acknowledging the confrontation, saying he told the students to stop their behavior but was met with continued swearing. He described the exchange as involving “a lot of swearing back and forth” between himself and the pupil.

Following the incident, police conducted an investigation and took statements from those involved. As a result of the findings and the disciplinary hearing, De Ferrers Academy dismissed Clarkson, who had been employed there for four years. The hearing concluded that his actions amounted to “unnecessary and disproportionate violence towards a pupil,” leading to his teaching ban for at least five years.

The case highlights ongoing concerns about the appropriate use of physical intervention in schools, as well as the boundaries teachers must observe when responding to student misconduct.