Former Wakefield primary teacher banned after conviction for slapping pupil
A former Wakefield primary school teacher has been banned from the profession after being convicted of slapping a pupil during a classroom incident.
Helena Eckles, who worked at Hall Cliffe Primary School, was prohibited from teaching following a hearing by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA), which considered her criminal conviction for assault by beating.
The panel heard the incident took place in May 2024 during a lesson in which a pupil refused to stop using a laptop after being instructed to put it away.
The case involved contact with the pupil’s face, with safeguarding records describing a “red handprint type mark” on the child’s cheek.
In March 2025, Ms Eckles was convicted at Leeds Magistrates Court of assault by beating under section 39 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988.
The TRA panel said it was required to treat the conviction as conclusive proof of both the offence and the facts necessarily implied by it.
The decision record and Secretary of State’s findings describe the conduct in plain terms as slapping the pupil across the face.
Ms Eckles told the hearing she did not intentionally slap the pupil and said any contact was accidental, occurring while she was attempting to manage a difficult classroom situation.
She also referred to behavioural challenges in the classroom and a lack of adequate support.
However, the panel said it found “no evidence of insight or remorse demonstrated” by Ms Eckles.
The panel concluded that her conduct amounted to a serious breach of the professional standards expected of teachers, including maintaining appropriate boundaries, safeguarding pupils, and upholding public confidence in the profession.
It said the conduct involved violence and raised concerns about the impact on pupil safety and public trust in teaching.
The panel recommended a prohibition order, which was accepted by the Secretary of State for Education.
A 10-year review period was imposed, meaning Ms Eckles may apply for the prohibition order to be reconsidered in April 2036. Any review would not be automatic and would be subject to a further decision.
Ms Eckles has 28 days to appeal the decision to the High Court.