Ho Cheng, 26, who was employed at Dilkes Academy in Essex, placed his arms around the child and onto the back of his neck before lifting him off the ground in the classroom, a misconduct panel heard
A man has been banned from teaching after a Year 1 pupil “cried out in pain” while being “lifted off the floor”, a misconduct panel heard.
Ho Cheng, 26, who was employed at Dilkes Academy in Essex, placed his arms around the child and onto the back of his neck before lifting him off the ground in the classroom. The shocking incident, which occurred in December 2023, saw the Year 1 pupil “cry out in pain and discomfort” during the teacher’s actions.
The pupil later reported the teacher to his parent, according to the professional conduct panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA).
Mr Cheng apologised to the parent the next morning, but he failed to report the incident to senior school staff until the afternoon of December 20, following another incident involving the same pupil.
A staff member told the school’s safeguarding lead, who quickly launched an internal investigation and suspended Mr Cheng later that day.
A spokesperson for Dilkes Academy told The Mirror: “Lifting a child by the arms is not acceptable, and a robust response was taken by the school.”
Mr Cheng admitted to “grabbing” the child to guide him to his seat and confessed he handled the classroom incident badly. The panel said the teacher “admits that the physical intervention was not reasonable or proportionate in the circumstances”.
He also admits that the physical intervention was “inappropriate and caused harm to the pupil who immediately cried and suffered pain and discomfort in his shoulders”.
The Teaching Regulation Agency said Mr Cheng’s conduct fell “significantly short” of expected standards. He has been banned from teaching in England and cannot apply for the ban to be lifted for at least two years.
Dilkes Academy said in a statement: “As a school safeguarding is our priority, therefore, procedures are regularly reviewed and scrutinised.
“We effectively safeguard and care for our pupils and this is clear in the Teacher Regulation Agency report where swift and appropriate action was taken.
“Lifting a child by the arms is not acceptable. This is why the incident was immediately actioned in line with established protocols and procedure. All relevant agencies were informed, and a robust response was taken by the school.
“As part of established process, the school then reported the case to the Teacher Regulation Agency, who then carried out their own investigation which only concluded in April 2025.
“The TRA report shows that the school responded promptly and appropriately to the situation in December 2023.”