A Canterbury teacher has been censured by the teachers’ disciplinary tribunal after she grabbed the hand of a 6-year-old student, causing him to fall.

The teacher appeared before the tribunal this week and accepted an allegation of serious misconduct by using “unjustified or unreasonable physical force” on a child.

The incident happened in May 2019 when students were participating in a dance-aerobics event in the school hall. A 6-year-old student was running around chasing after his friend and ignored the teacher’s request for him to stop.

According to the summary of facts, when the student ran past the teacher she grabbed his hand, which “caused his arms and shoulders to be yanked, and made him fall to the ground”.

“He fell heavily to the ground as a result of him losing his balance because of the force of the pull, and she was still holding on to him,” the summary says. The student started to cry and the teacher tried to pull him up.

At the end of the dance session, the teacher spoke to the student about what happened. She knelt down to be at eye-level with him and put her arms around his waist.

The student was resistant to speak to her and started to cry. She continued to hold on to him and explained that he was not to run during the dance sessions, and said she was sorry for hurting him. The student squirmed to get out of her grasp.

Another teacher saw the student was uncomfortable and stepped in.

When the school principal spoke to the teacher about the incident, she acknowledged she needed to work on her interactions with this particular student as she sometimes found his behaviour frustrating. She said her anxiety levels were elevated with all the children running around and making a lot of noise.

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The principal contacted the student’s mother to inform her of the incident. She said her child had not brought it up with her.

The principal also submitted a report to the teaching council.

According to the teaching council rules, an employer is mandated to report any incident to the council where they have reason to believe a teacher committed a serious breach of the code of professional responsibility. This includes using unjustified or unreasonable physical force on a child.

Reports are first assessed by the council’s triage committee who decides if further action should be taken. On average about 80 people face a hearing before the disciplinary tribunal every year.

The teacher told the tribunal she was “mortified” about what happened and felt “sick” knowing she had hurt a child.

“I feel ashamed, and embarrassed about what happened ... This behaviour towards a child was not me. Looking back now, I realise how unwell I was and that I had exhausted all my reserves.”

She has since received counselling and said she now knew how to better manage her anxiety.

A spokesman for the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa said the union cannot comment on specific disciplinary tribunal cases.

The principal at the teacher’s school did not respond to a request for comment.

The teacher continues to work at the school where the incident took place. Her name, as well as the name of the school and its location, cannot be published.

She was formally censured and ordered to take part in a 12-month programme to learn strategies for dealing with stress and anxiety. A progress report must be sent to the tribunal after six months.