Head teacher sacked for tap on son’s hand

A HEAD teacher who was sacked for “assault” after tapping her toddler son on the hand was unfairly dismissed, a tribunal found.

Shelly-ann Malabver-Goulbourne, head of Northwold Primary School in east London, was trying to get her three-year-old to stop playing with hand sanitiser in her office when she used two fingers to attract his attention.

The incident was witnessed by the teacher in charge of child safety who accused her of hurting her son. She filed an official complaint and called the police, who ruled that the actions were “reasonable chastisement” by a parent.

Despite this, Ms Malabver-Goulbourne was found guilty of gross misconduct and sacked.

An employment judge concluded there was no evidence that she had committed “physical chastisement or an assault” and ruled her dismissal unfair. The hearing was told she had been a teacher for “many years”, had joined the Arbor Academy Trust in 2005 and had been head since 2017.

The incident, on Jan 17 2022, “was around 6.20pm and [Ms Malabver-Goulbourne] was packing up her things to go home after having a meeting with Ms Bhagwandas, the designated lead for safeguarding”, the hearing was told. “[Her] two children who attended the school were in her offices with her, waiting for her to take them home.

“[Her son] J took up a bottle of hand sanitiser which was on a table”

Employment judge Julia Jones said: “I find it likely that [Ms Malabver-Goulbourne] then bent down to his level to speak to him about why he should not be playing with hand sanitiser.

“When she did so he turned his face away from her and she tapped him with two fingers on the back of his hand to get his attention, so that he would look at her to hear what she was saying.”