Teacher avoids ban despite dragging schoolgirl along floor for 'taking 20 seconds to tie her shoelaces'

Fintan Starkey
Tue, 07 Apr 2026 19:36:59 +0000

A PE teacher at an Essex secondary school pulled a Year 8 student across the floor of a changing room after the girl spent too long tying her shoes.

Charlotte Venables, who worked at Stewards Academy in Harlow, seized the pupil by her ankle before dragging her from the room, a misconduct hearing was told.

The Teaching Regulation Agency determined that Ms Venables had employed excessive force during the incident.

However, despite this finding, she has escaped a ban from the profession after the panel concluded her behaviour was "entirely out of character".

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According to the hearing, the student had been seated on a bench tying her shoelaces when Ms Venables grabbed her ankle, pulling her onto the floor.

The teacher then took hold of the girl's wrist and dragged her into the corridor, with other children witnessing the incident.

Ms Venables had given pupils a 60-second countdown to vacate both changing rooms, which she had been tasked with locking up.

When the girl, identified as Child A, requested an additional 20 seconds to finish with her laces, the teacher "grabbed her trainer and pulled her to the floor".

The pupil's mother subsequently lodged a complaint with the school, stating her daughter had been manhandled "while doing nothing more than fastening her shoe". Ms Venables was suspended following this complaint.

The Teaching Regulation Agency found that Ms Venables had used inappropriate and excessive force against the pupil and had breached safeguarding protocols.

She also failed to report what had happened to school leaders.

Ms Venables acknowledged her conduct amounted to unacceptable professional behaviour capable of bringing teaching into disrepute.

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In her statement, the teacher said: "I deeply regret my actions, as they were not in line with the values I hold, nor the standards that were expected of me.

"Please know that my intention was never to cause harm or distress to the child.

"However, I fully understand that my approach was inappropriate, and I take responsibility for the negative impact it may have caused."

Panel chairman Martin Coles stated that Ms Venables had shown "a serious lapse in judgement" in how she removed the pupil from the changing room.

Nevertheless, the panel accepted the incident was brief, lasting between 30 and 40 seconds, and represented isolated behaviour driven by her desire to remove "an insubordinate child, who had already ignored a number of verbal instructions".

The panel determined that publishing its adverse findings constituted appropriate punishment, noting the teacher had demonstrated genuine remorse.

Stuart Blomfield, acting on behalf of Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, approved the decision, stating: "A prohibition order is not proportionate or in the public interest."

A separate allegation that Ms Venables pushed another pupil during the same incident was not proven.