A teaching assistant at a Newport primary school was accused of using “more force than reasonable” on a young child, leaving visible red marks on the girl’s wrist, a professional conduct hearing has heard.
The incident allegedly took place at Monnow Primary School in Bettws and involved Abigail Scrivens, who had worked at the school since 2016. It was claimed that Ms Scrivens grabbed the wrist of a Year One pupil after the child refused to eat her lunch.
The girl, known only as Pupil A for privacy reasons, told her mother at the end of the school day that she had been shouted at and hurt. She was described as upset and distressed. The mother later showed the school a photo of her daughter’s wrist with red blotches, which she said were caused by the incident.
The mother’s complaint led to a police investigation. Officers later dropped the case, finding no grounds for criminal action. However, the matter was passed on to the Education Workforce Council (EWC) Wales for further review. A remote hearing of the EWC’s fitness to practise committee was held on June 2.
During the hearing, headteacher Lisa Bowden confirmed that the girl’s mother had shown her a photograph of the marks on her daughter’s arm. While Ms Bowden admitted she could not verify when the photo was taken, she said she believed it showed the aftermath of the alleged grabbing incident.
The panel also heard that both staff and pupils witnessed what happened and later reported it. In response, Ms Scrivens denied using excessive force. She claimed she had applied a “caring C”—a method where staff gently place their hand in a cupped position on a child’s body to comfort them, not to restrain them.
Ms Scrivens was suspended from duties while the police carried out their inquiry. During that time, the school reassigned her to roles that did not involve direct contact with children. The school’s own investigation began only after the police concluded theirs.
The headteacher told the committee that Pupil A had several food intolerances and that Ms Scrivens had been trying to comfort her for not eating. However, she added that the pupil was visibly upset when school ended that day and that other children had said Ms Scrivens had shouted at her.
Ms Bowden acknowledged she had a cordial working relationship with Ms Scrivens and described her as a “strong character” within the teaching assistant team. She also noted that Ms Scrivens was well known in the community. But she also told the panel that Ms Scrivens had previously left a safeguarding training session early without permission and had not completed it.
Dr Francis Graydon, representing Ms Scrivens, questioned how the headteacher could be certain the photo was taken after the incident and whether it was truly the girl’s wrist. Ms Bowden said she did not check the date of the photo but trusted the mother’s claim.
The EWC panel will now consider the evidence presented before deciding whether Ms Scrivens’ conduct fell below the professional standards required in a school setting.
