Teacher called pupil ‘dwarf’, swung him round room

A teacher faces being struck off after allegedly calling a pupil a 'dwarf' and swinging him around the classroom. Picture: John Devlin

Christopher Butcher allegedly told the same secondary school student in Aberdeenshire he was “inhuman” and “stupid” while he worked at Fraserburgh Academy in 2013.

He also supposedly pushed the same child up against a wall using his fist.

Mr Butcher, who resigned in December 2013, faces a hearing in front of the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) on Monday.

The teacher, believed to be in his 60s and from the Strichen area, will face a total of four charges.

The first charge states that on Monday 24 June 2013 he “[shouted] at a pupil and call him a ‘dwarf’.”

The second charge says that he also “grabbed pupil 1 by his shoulder and swung him around”.

He also allegedly “used a closed fist on pupil 1’s chest to push him back into a wall”.

The final charge states that he “shouted at pupil 1 in an aggressive and intimidating manner” and “called pupil 1 ‘stupid’ and ‘inhuman’.”

A document that accompanied the charges states that Mr Butcher “had indicated, through the case management process, that he would admit the allegations at the full hearing”.

Mr Butcher, who also has a qualification to teach history, applied for parts of his hearing to be held in private.

The GTCS agreed on the basis that some evidence will be “intimate or sensitive” and said the “interests of [Mr Butcher] and third parties outweigh those of the public” in this case.

A spokesman for Aberdeenshire Council said: “Christopher Butcher hasn’t been employed by the council since December 2013.”

A former colleague said he was surprised Mr Butcher was facing such serious allegations.

The man, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “He was very active in Strichen community circles and he did a lot of community work.

“He was quite active in extra-curricular activities.”