An experienced teaching assistant who called vulnerable children in her care "little s****" and locked one or more out of the classroom has been banned from the profession. A professional standards panel was told Melanie Morgan also used the phrase: "“F****** hell” and/or: “F*** this” frequently in front of the children aged five to 11 in her class at Pantside Primary School in Newbridge.
Morgan worked in one of the two classes at the school's special resource base for children with additional learning needs, a fitness to practise committee of the Education Workforce Council heard. Some of the pupils in her care had autism and some were non-verbal but understood what she was saying and the tone used according to colleagues who said they witnessed the swearing and pupils being locked outside.
The panel heard that on one occasion, after checking the underwear of a child referred to as Pupil A and/or Pupil B to protect their identity, Morgan said: "F****** hell it stinks” or words to that effect. In response to a child crying she said: “He’s doing my f****** head in – all he’s done is cry” or words to that effect. For the latest Welsh news delivered to your inbox sign up to our newsletter.
The teaching assistant, who started work as a level three teaching assistant at the school in October 2008, denied all the allegations against her. Representing herself Morgan told the hearing she had never sworn in front of children, liked her job, did all the required training, and had never previously had complaints against her.
But two former supply teaching assistants in the class told the panel they had been shocked to witness Morgan swear repeatedly in front of "vulnerable" children and lock them out of the classroom in the outdoor area shared with the other classroom at the base. On one occasion she had pulled down the blinds so the distressed child shut out could not see and also mocked the child by mimicking their crying, they said.
"Children were regularly put outside if they were fussy or crying or disruptive to the routine," supply teaching assistant Rebecca Coles, who worked with Morgan briefly, told the panel. Ms Coles said she had complained to the head teacher Kate Bennett. After complaints the school launched an investigation and Morgan was suspended from her job in 2022.
Ms Coles said she had no doubt the children were emotionally affected by Morgan's swearing and being locked outside. "She was swearing in front of the children, making comments, and laughing at them when they cried," Ms Coles told the panel, "I was shocked because the children were so vulnerable and non-verbal and it felt like taking advantage.
"A girl was crying and Melanie Morgan was mocking her through the window and pulling sad faces and making fun of the girl, who was crying. I thought that was disgusting."
She went on to describe how when a boy in the class soiled himself Morgan declared: "Which one of you has s***? Let me check your a***. F****** hell it stinks."
Ms Coles told the panel: "She said that in front of the class and teacher and laughed. I was in disbelief she could speak like this."
Student teacher Lois Fox told the hearing she had worked in the class as a supply teaching assistant. She said she also witnessed Morgan swearing in front of the children but had not felt confident to complain at the time.
She claimed Morgan often used the phrase "f*** off" but "more often than not" the class teacher and other staff said nothing although the teacher sometimes said: "Watch your mouth". The swearing created a "bad environment" and she was disturbed to see the children respond when told by Morgan to: "Come here you little s***". Ms Fox said working with Morgan made her feel "uncomfortable", "shocked", and "intimidated". Morgan was not a good role model, she said.
Ms Morgan strenuously denied this and all the allegations and told the panel she loved seeing children develop and missed her job. She said she had had regular reviews at the school, always had "excellent reports back", and had received no previous complaints from staff, parents, or children during her 13-year career.
She went on: "I have worked with a lot of staff and children and enjoyed every minute and never had any issues or allegations against me [until now]. I deny all the allegations against me. I have never in my time at Pantside Primary ever sworn around any children or used terminology that was inappropriate."
She said she never prevented children coming back into the classroom from being outside and never shut the blinds on them. She told the panel that "safeguarding has always been paramount to me" and that although stress at the time affected her workload she felt she had never been given a chance to "reflect" or "make good".
Asked if she swore around the children she said: "I never swore in front of children or around learners... I would never call them little s**** or swear at them."
But on day three of the hearing, which ran remotely from November 26 to 28, the panel found Morgan's stance "implausible", commitee chair Peter Owen said. The commitee found eight of the nine allegations against Morgan proved and found that those allegations amounted to unacceptable professional conduct.
The committee found the following allegations proven against Morgan:
1. In or around March 2022 she acted in an inappropriate and/or unprofessional manner in that:
a) In front of and/or to pupils you said “f****** hell” and/or “f*** this” and/or “little s****” or words to that effect;
b) She said: “Which one of you has s****? Let me check your a**** or words to that effect;
c) After checking the underwear of Pupil A and/or Pupil B she said: “F****** hell it stinks” or words to that effect;
d) In response to a learner crying she said: “He’s doing my f****** head in – all he’s done is cry” or words to that effect;
e) In response to being asked whether Pupil D would want a breadstick she said: “Does a bear s*** in the woods?”, or words to that effect.
f) In response to a learner crying she mimicked crying by pulling a sad face and/or clenched her fists and rubbed them near her eyes.
2. From October 2020 to March 2022 she
a) locked one or more pupil(s) outside of the classroom; and/or
c) closed the blind on one or more pupil(s).
Allegation 2b that Morgan did not let pupils who were locked out back into the classroom was found not proved by the panel. But they found the facts of paragraphs 1a) to 1f) and 2a and 2c to amount to unacceptable professional conduct.
In mitigation the panel was told Morgan had a previously unblemished record. Although two people were asked and declined to give references, including the head teacher, a positive reference had been emailed by a former colleague and teaching assistant at the school.
Summing up chairman Mr Owen said Morgan's behaviour had poised a "real risk of emotional harm to learners". The incidents were not isolated and there had been a pattern of behaviour, he added.
Striking Morgan off the EWC's register the panel ruled she would not be able to apply to be re-admitted before two years from the date of the decision. The former teaching assistant has the right of appeal to the High Court within 28 days.
