Ban for teacher cleared of assault (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Ban for teacher cleared of assault

7:19pm Monday 12th March 2007

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A teacher who was cleared in court of assaulting a pupil has now been banned from chaperoning her own grandchildren to acting performances.

Judi Sunderland, 57, was charged with assault after restraining a schoolboy in a corridor, but the case collapsed when it came to court in 2005 amid doubts about the character of her teenage accuser.

Despite the court's verdict, governors at Immanuel CE Community College, Leeds Road, Thackley, Bradford, have judged she did assault the boy, but can still return to work.

In light of the decision, last week Mrs Sunderland decided to resign from her position at the school rather than return.

Away from college, three of her eight grandchildren are child actors and need to be chaperoned by a parent or approved person whenever they are working.

However, with her teaching career over, Mrs Sunderland claims her application to be a chaperone has been refused by Education Bradford because of the incident with the schoolboy, which occurred in 2003.

Mrs Sunderland said it was nonsense that she was innocent in the eyes of the law but guilty according to her school, and that she was allowed to teach children but not chaperone them.

She said: "I am incensed. I have done nothing wrong. A court of law found there was no case to answer yet the governors decided I did.

"I don't know how the governors can find me guilty when the court said there was no case to answer.

"I cannot understand how I am allowed to teach all day but I am not able to work with children in my own time. I would like someone to explain that to me.

"I am appalled at the illogicality."

Her three-year battle began in December 2003 when she intervened in a confrontation between a 13-year-old boy and another member of staff.

According to Mrs Sunderland, the boy swore and kicked her before trying to run away. Fearing what he might do to himself and others, she put her arms round him before taking him into her nearby office.

After almost 18 months the case went to court but on the day Mrs Sunderland's trial was due to begin it was dropped.

Some 11 months later, in July last year, the school's disciplinary hearing took place at which governors decided she had assaulted the boy.

Mrs Sunderland appealed, but in January a different panel of governors came to the same verdict.

Immanuel College, which is controlled by the Bradford Church of England Diocese, said it did not comment "on employee matters".

A spokesman for Education Bradford, which processes chaperone license applications on behalf of Bradford Council, said: "Legislation requires the local authority to licence suitable' people as chaperones.

"The licence would allow the holder to chaperone any child, not only family members. Mrs Sunderland was refused a licence to chaperone children."

Bev Marshall, regional officer for the National Union of Teachers, said: "I think there are lessons to learn and new guidance has now been issued about the speed with which cases should be dealt with.

"I think the judgements they came to in the end were harsh for her."

Clive Sedgewick, director of education for the Bradford diocese, said: "The decision not to give out a chaperone license was an Education Bradford decision. The actions of Immanuel College would not have had a positive or negative effect on the decision taken by the authority."

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