A TEACHER has been banned from teaching indefinitely after calling a disabled student a ‘midget’, mocking a child with learning difficulties and spraying water at a pupil who asked to go to the toilet.

Christopher Elliott was found guilty of unprofessional conduct at Christopher Whitehead Language College, Worcester, where he worked between September 2001 and July 2010.

Mr Elliott was struck off the teaching register for an indefinite period of time by a General Teaching Coucil (GTC) board in Birmingham yesterday.

During his time at the school he made a number of inappropriate comments to several pupils with physical and mental disabilities. He mocked one pupil, identified only as ‘Pupil A’, who suffered from a condition that left him shorter then his fellow pupils, asking him if he needed a ladder to get over a small stile while on a school trip.

In class one day he knelt on the floor so he was at the same level as him and said: “Is this what it is like being you? You can’t learn anything because you can’t see anything.”

When Pupil A’s younger brother joined the school he told him: “you’d have thought your parents would have stopped having children after him”.

Another time he repeatedly asked the child to stand up, even after he had done so, before mockingly saying “oh, I didn’t realise you had stood up”. He also referred to the pupil as “short”, “small” and a “midget”.

Another pupil, Pupil B, was asked if he had “taken his madness pills yet” in the classroom one day.

Another with learning disabilities was asked: “Are you stupid? Don’t you know where you live?” during a geography lesson.

Mr Elliott expressed regret for his actions and has taken early retirement.

He claimed he believed his words were humorous. The GTC board decided a reprimand would not be punishment enough.

Committe chairman Elizabeth Purnell said: “These were vulnerable youths. Rather than being in a safe, helping environment, you subjected them to sustained abuse.

“This was a sustained course of conduct and you had received advice from your headteacher. We accept you now say you are saddened by your conduct and that you say ‘I should have known better’.

“Your conduct over a lengthy period of time fell below the appropriate standard for the teaching profession and your behaviour had a serious and negative impact on pupils and staff at the school.

“To use the kind of language you have admitted to undoubtedly caused distress, would have undermined the pupils’ self-confidence and the work of the school, and had the potential to bring the wider profession into disrepute.

“We understand you have taken early retirement, however we feel we must consider a punishment for the sake of the public.

“We feel the appropriate punishment is to prohibit you from teaching. You will be struck off the teaching register indefinitely.”

According to the board, former colleagues of Mr Elliott had testified that he never took advice from them, and never considered changing his behaviour.

Mr Elliott cannot apply for re-admittance to the register until at least 2013.

Neil Morris, headteacher, said: “We dismissed Chris becuase of a number of incidents. He wasn’t meeting the needs of the children so we took action.

“It is very sad that he chose to behave in such an unprofessional manner. He could have been a good teacher but he became unsatified in his job and ignored the advice and support given to him. It was a very sad situation.

“Everyone has the right to the best education we can provide and these were some of the most vulnerable kids. They weren’t getting the best deal from this man.”