A SCOTS headteacher who allegedly dragged a primary one pupil out of a nativity rehearsal by their wrist claims that other teachers colluded to make up the allegations.
Carol McCulloch was head of Sorn Primary in Mauchline, East Ayrshire when the alleged incident occurred in December 2019.
The teacher faces allegations that she grabbed the boy and physically dragged him away from peers at Sorn Village Hall during a dress rehearsal of the school nativity.
It is also alleged that McCulloch then shouted at the boy in a corridor and that he was allegedly left in tears by the actions of the educator.
McCulloch of Cumnock, East Ayrshire now faces a five day hearing in front of the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) over her alleged actions.
If the three-person panel opt to find the allegations proved then the headteacher could be barred for up to two years and struck from the teaching register.
The allegations in full state: “On 5 December 2019, at Sorn Village Hall, which is used by Sorn Primary School, the Teacher, during the course of her employment with East Ayrshire Council, did:
“Seize Pupil A, then aged 5 years of age, by the body and drag him across the hall.
“Shout at Pupil A.
“Cause an injury to Pupil A’s leg as a result of dragging him across the hall.”
A three person panel for the GTCS yesterday heard from McCulloch who alleged that she had not grabbed the pupil’s wrist and another teachers had colluded against her.
She said that the teacher who had made the initial allegations had only done so due to McCulloch attending a disciplinary meeting a week prior to the incident, where the teacher’s practice was called into question.
McCulloch stated: “I would say that unless the teachers turned right round I don’t know how they could see [Pupil A being dragged].
“[The teacher] was angry from the week before. Her body language during the week before was angry. The timing was crucial in the hall that morning.
“I had to reach across her at every turn to give headteacher stares [to misbehaving pupils].
“She refused to engage at all.
“She was a matriarch and had heavily influenced [other teachers]. It wasn’t just with these teachers – any teacher or probationary, even the supply head teacher.”
The Sorn head teacher also recalled her version of the allegations and the claims that she had grabbed Pupil A by the wrist before taking him out of the hall.
McCulloch told the panel: “The nativity practice was in full swing.
“Pupil A was fidgeting in his chair and trying to shuffle his chair forward and throw himself to the side of the chair, displaying a low level of behaviour.
“I said, ‘Pupil A, stop fidgeting in the chair and shuffling it forward or I will take it off you because you will fall off of it.
“There was one teacher and their pupils all there.
“Teachers were facing the stage and children were at either side.
“I had a good relationship with Pupil A, I knew all his tricks – more importantly, I was concerned he was going to get hurt while his parents were away.”
The educator told of how she was concerned the child was going to be hurt by ‘adult chairs’ and that was when she asked him to leave the rehearsal.
The 49-year-old continued: “Pupil A didn’t get off his chair and sat on the floor, which was fine but quite quickly crawled under the chairs that the children were sitting on.
“[Another teacher] was certainly ignoring him. He wasn’t causing a problem until he went headfirst between the chairs.
“I shouted over Pupil A out. I did a hand movement and said out.
“He looked at me and didn’t come out and was crawling a bit further in.
“I leapt out of my chair and I was concerned he would get hurt – these were adult chairs. – their legs were swinging.
“I took him by the waist, face down, head up and I stood him up. In my mind, I thought he was going to get hurt.
“He was on his feet, twisting his hand in my hand, trying to get away. I had my eyes on him, I wasn’t ahead of him.
“I had his hand and had some pressure on his hand and he was trying to squirm away, which is usual for him but my plan was to take him out and talk about safety.
“We walked out into the corridor and I let go of his hand.
“It sounded like I was standing over a child and shouting at him but he was at the other end and I was raising my voice to tell him to come and speak to me.”
Presenting Officer Lauren Doherty submitted to the panel that the witnesses were not believed to have conspired together to make false allegations.
She also added that based on the balance of probability McCulloch likely was guilty of having committed the allegations.
She added: “It is my submission that the three teachers witnessed something they felt necessary to report rather than collude or conspire against someone who they had a working relationship with.
“I would direct the panel to look at the interview with Pupil A.
“[In regards to injury] I would submit that this allegation can be proved on balance of probability.
“In my submission, there is sufficient evidence to find the allegations proved when the balance of probability is taken as a whole.”
The hearing continues.
