A primary school teacher has been banned from the profession after she was found to have slapped the bare bottom of an autistic pupil as a form of punishment. Tsvetelina Kaliszan, aged 44, was working at Elm Tree Primary Academy in Wednesbury when the incident occurred.
Kaliszan was supervising a challenging class, which included a vulnerable autistic boy who urinated in a ball pit during a soft play session. In response, she placed the boy over her knees and struck his naked bottom twice. Two colleagues witnessed the event and expressed immediate concern, questioning her actions.
Following the incident, Kaliszan admitted she had done “something bad” but said events unfolded quickly, causing her to panic. She was reportedly so distressed she did not inform school management right away and later struggled to eat or sleep. However, during an investigation, she claimed she had only tapped the child through his clothing.
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A professional conduct panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) concluded that the behaviour was a serious breach of teaching standards. Although the incident was described as a one-off occurrence in a stressful situation, the panel stated that physical punishment of this nature is never acceptable and represents a serious failure to protect children.
Witness statements confirmed that the boy had removed his lower clothing and urinated in the ball pit. They saw Kaliszan place him face down across her lap with his lower torso exposed and then slap his bare bottom clearly and audibly. No visible marks were found on the pupil afterwards.
Kaliszan accepted she had tapped the boy’s bottom to encourage him to move but denied it was a deliberate punishment or that she struck him while he was naked. She also admitted failing to report the incident to the school immediately.
The panel found the evidence did not support her claims and determined she had committed unacceptable professional conduct and brought the profession into disrepute. Kaliszan has received a prohibition order which bans her from teaching indefinitely in any educational setting in England. The order will be subject to review after two years.
Elm Tree Primary Academy, located in Friar Park Road, caters specifically for autistic children from reception through to year 6, many of whom have additional learning needs.
“Physical abuse of a child in these terms is never acceptable and represents a serious transgression by a teacher of their most fundamental duty to keep children safe.”
This case highlights the importance of safeguarding policies and appropriate conduct when managing vulnerable children within educational environments.