Maths Teacher Barred from Profession Following Inappropriate Pupil Restraint

A mathematics educator has been prohibited from teaching due to the inappropriate physical restraint of a student on a football field. A disciplinary panel determined that Olaf Stepnowski, a teacher at the Braybrook Centre, Lawnswood Campus in Wolverhampton, most probably “swept the legs from underneath the pupil to move them to the floor.” The panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) acknowledged the student’s aggressive behavior towards Mr. Stepnowski, but concluded that he possessed sufficient chances to de-escalate the situation without employing physical restraint. Mr. Stepnowski, employed at the pupil referral unit since 2018, declined to participate in the hearing, stating that the system was “morally corrupt”. Evidence presented to the panel included CCTV footage and three written accounts from Mr. Stepnowski detailing the event; however, the panel members deemed his evidence to be inconsistent. The panel was informed that he instructed the pupil to “stop it” after the young person yelled at him and tried to push him down, but it concluded this did not constitute an “effective attempt” to verbally de-escalate the situation. Furthermore, the panel determined that he could have sought assistance from other staff or withdrawn from the incident, given its outdoor location. His failure to do so resulted in the technique employed by Mr. Stepnowski being judged “unnecessary” and “inappropriate,” as the restraint method diverged from the school’s intervention policy. Upon receiving notification of the hearing, he replied that he had “no trust in any proceedings” and “no interest in the panel’s decisions”. He had previously received management guidance from his employer concerning physical intervention with students on a minimum of two distinct occasions, which led the panel to identify “compelling evidence” that his actions were intentional. Based on the panel’s conclusions and acting on behalf of the education secretary, Marc Cavey, chief executive of the TRA, was convinced that Mr. Stepnowski was culpable of “unacceptable professional misconduct” and banned him from teaching without a specified end date. Mr. Cavey authorized a review period of two years, following which Mr. Stepnowski retains the right to appeal for the removal of the prohibition order. The Braybrook Centre has been contacted for a statement. Information from BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country is accessible via BBC Sounds, Facebook, X, and Instagram. This content is copyrighted by BBC, 2024, with all rights reserved. The BBC states it is not accountable for the content of external sites and provides details on its approach to external linking.