A four-year-old boy waled out of school alone after a teacher claimed he was with an adult.
Evangeline Edwin, who was a teacher at Childwall Church of England Primary School, Liverpool, told school leaders she was “sure” she had released the pupil into the care of an approved adult despite the boy being expected at an after school sports club and nobody coming to collect him.
A Teacher Regulation Agency (TRA) hearing heard how on November 27, 2019, the boy known as Pupil A had been expected to attend an after school sports club at the Woolton Road school. Holly Quirk, presenting officer, told the three-person panel how a coach at the school informed officials the boy wasn’t present at the session.
A member of the public called the school to say they had found Pupil A in a Childwall uniform and gave their name.
During the 10 minutes in his leaving school, the boy managed to cross a series of main roads, the hearing was told.
Gurpreet Rheel, representing Miss Edwin, said the former teacher accepted she had released Pupil A and “remains affected now.” She said Miss Edwin had sought to “apologise for her failings” and said this was not a lesson she would easily forget, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Ms Rheel said Miss Edwin said she had not been able to take part in any investigation into the incident and was kept “very much in the dark.” Wendy Mason, headteacher at Childwall Primary School, told the panel on the day in question, Miss Edwin had been with a reception class.
Mrs Mason said Miss Edwin had been “absolutely adamant” she had handed Pupil A over to “a lady” who matched the description of the boy’s mother and asked for him by name. At the time of the call being received from the member of the public, Mrs Mason said she thought the boy had wandered off from his mother and “wasn’t alarmed.”
Mrs Mason said she and senior leaders had “no reason” to doubt Miss Edwin’s account at the time. It was the next day when a colleague was overseeing Pupil A’s class and the boy attempted to “squeeze past” the teacher at the end of the day, staff checked CCTV to see what had happened the day before.
The headteacher said Miss Edwin - who did not return to Childwall Primary School after the incident occurred three years ago - had said she was “sure” she had given the boy over to a responsible adult but “it was noisy outside and she could have been confused by that.”
Mrs Mason said CCTV footage showed the child had “clearly left on his own” and it had not been busy outside, unlike Miss Edwin claimed. Ms Rheel argued Mrs Mason had not thoroughly attempted to elicit from Miss Edwin what happened.
The panel is considering whether Miss Edwin’s action amounted to unacceptable professional conduct and conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute. If that is found to be the case, a sanction may be imposed.
Miss Edwin is expected to give evidence this morning. The hearing continues.
