A Herts supply teacher has been banned from teaching indefinitely after grabbing a pupil by the hair and kicking, hitting and swearing at him.

During a PE lesson, teacher Daniel Draghici grabbed a pupil by the hair, hit him around his face and head, kicked his upper leg and bottom and swore at him.

In a statement, Mr Draghici said the pupil had started to "talk trash" to him "and be disrespectful", forcing him to stop the lesson three times to go and retrieve the pupil after he had left via an emergency exit.

Another student, who witnessed the incident, said the teacher "charged at the pupil, shook his head very aggressively and then started whacking and punching him. Next thing we know, he kicked the pupil on the bum and hit his head again. After this happened, he started swearing at the pupil."

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The incident happened on April 27, 2018, on Mr Draghici's second day as a supply teacher at Queens' School in Bushey.

This month, the professional conduct panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency has banned Mr Draghici from teaching indefinitely for his conduct.

A report by the panel says: "The conduct of Mr Draghici amounted to misconduct of a serious nature which fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession.

"It is utterly unacceptable for a teacher to grab, hit and kick a pupil. Whilst the panel heard evidence in respect of the behaviour of the class, this certainly did not excuse Mr Draghici’s behaviour. As a professional, he should have sought to manage the behaviour of the class and de-escalate the situation appropriately."

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The panel said it had not been presented with any evidence to indicate Mr Draghici had demonstrated insight or remorse.

"The lack of evidence of insight means there is some risk of the repetition of this behaviour and this puts at risk the future wellbeing of pupils," the panel said.

Mr Draghici may apply for the prohibition order to be set aside, but not until March 10, 2028, at the earliest. If he does apply, a panel will meet to consider whether the prohibition order should be set aside.