A primary teacher has been banned from the profession for allowing his pupils to hug him.

Mark Pullinger, from Oliver’s Battery School in Winchester, Hampshire was dismissed after complaints from colleagues were investigated.

The General Teaching Council (GTC) acknowledged that there was no ‘no single serious episode’, yet revealed that Mr Pullinger has been banned from the classroom indefinitely after a series of reports indicated that he ‘failed to maintain physical boundaries with female pupils’, The Telegraph reports.

In the UK there is no official law that states teachers are unable to touch pupils, yet confusion over the ‘no touch’ policy has resulted in many teachers avoiding physical contact with students for fear of being sued or dismissed.

Currently, under the Education and Inspections Act, 2006, teachers are allowed to use physical restraint to stop a pupil from: committing any offence, causing personal injury to themselves or any other person, damaging property or to stop anything that is prejudicing good order and discipline in the school.

The Education Secretary Michael Gove wishes to clarify the ‘no touch’ policy within schools in order to allow teachers to console, restrain or search pupils and their belongings in order to tackle bad behaviour in the classroom.

The GTC heard this month that Mr Pullinger had allowed a pupil to sit on his lap, shared a chair with another and, on numerous occasions, ‘failed to disengage immediately when girls ran up to him and put their arms around his legs’.

Despite his dismissal from the profession, Mr Pullinger received backup from parents, many of whom claimed he was an ‘inspiration’ to their children yet unfairly treated because he is male.

One parent commented: “He was a fantastic teacher. He made learning fun and he really motivated and cared passionately about his students. My daughter blossomed in his class. She was a quiet child but she really thrived being taught by him.”

Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), commented: “Teachers should be allowed appropriate contact with pupils without fear of recriminations. Unfortunately male teachers can feel particularly vulnerable to allegations of inappropriate conduct.”

Lynda Banister, a former school governor who chaired the panel which rejected Mr Pullinger's appeal, said it had been ‘the right decision’ to dismiss him.

She stated: “I can understand why Mr Pullinger and some of the parents might feel that he was treated unfairly, but it was a very thorough, very painstaking and very considered decision that we made. We never felt that any child had come to any harm. It was a matter of his lack of judgment. We felt that his behaviour wasn't appropriate for a teacher in a primary school.”

If you are facing an allegation or if you are looking for hints and tips on dealing with behaviour and managing your classroom environment, why not have a look at our related factsheets:

• Allegations against teachers
• Behaviour
• Managing pupil behaviour - dealing with aggression
• Responding positively to change