A 58-year-old teacher, Farooq Ahmed, has been banned from teaching for life after he was found guilty of hitting a pupil with a ruler and kicking a chair that another child was sitting on at Oasis Academy, North Avenue, Bradford.
The incident occurred on November 24, 2023, barely three months after Mr Ahmed joined the school at the start of the academic year. He was suspended three days later and formally resigned from his post on January 15, 2024, the same day he received a conditional police caution from West Yorkshire Police for assault by beating.
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A two-day Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) hearing, held on September 15 and 16, 2025, reviewed CCTV evidence showing the incident at the end of an art lesson around 1 p.m.
The report described how Mr Ahmed appeared to push and then kick a chair occupied by a pupil, causing the child to flinch. “Although the CCTV footage was blurred, the panel observed Mr Ahmed pushing a chair on which a child was seated,” the panel said. “It appeared to be a reasonable inference that Mr Ahmed had kicked the chair.”
Moments later, the footage showed him “flicking a ruler,” which appeared to strike another pupil’s arm. The panel noted that Mr Ahmed seemed agitated and confrontational as he moved about the classroom demanding the return of school equipment.
Mr Ahmed, who did not attend the hearing but was represented, denied any deliberate contact, claiming he had only moved the chair with his foot and that if the ruler touched the pupil, it was accidental. In a written statement to the school principal, he said there was only a “slim possibility” the ruler may have brushed the student’s hand.
However, after reviewing the CCTV, Mr Ahmed later apologised to police, admitting that the video appeared different from how he remembered the event. He signed a caution acknowledging the offence.
Following its review, the TRA ruled:
“Mr Farooq Ahmed is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth-form college, relevant youth accommodation, or children’s home in England.”
The decision underscores the UK government’s zero-tolerance policy on physical discipline in schools. The TRA emphasised that teachers are expected to model professionalism and restraint, noting that Mr Ahmed’s conduct “fell significantly short of the standards expected in the teaching profession.”
The Oasis Academy Trust confirmed that safeguarding measures were promptly followed and expressed sympathy to the pupils affected, reaffirming its commitment to maintaining a safe learning environment for all students.
