Teaching assistant who took hold of child's wrist suspended

ABIGAIL SCRIVENS WAS EMPLOYED BY MONNOW PRIMARY IN NEWPORT WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED LEAVING THE CHILD SCREAMING 15:18, 06 Jun 2025Updated 15:21, 06 Jun 2025 A teaching assistant who took a

"petite" year one child by the wrist with "more force than reasonable" and shouted at her has been suspended from the education register for a year. Abigail Scrivens was

working at Monnow Primary in the Bettws area of Newport when colleagues reported her for taking the girl's wrist in the dining room and remonstrating with the child in a manner which

one told the committee she would "never forget". The girl was screaming and crying and her mother later reported that she came out of school with red marks where she had been

grabbed, a professional standards committee heard. Police were called but dropped their investigation with no case to answer so an internal investigation was started. During a five-day

hearing the Education Workforce Council Wales Fitness to Practise Committee was told that the child, referred to as Child A, was "challenging" and that Miss Scrivens had had no

previous complaints against her with the EWC. The panel heard the incident took place after the child apparently "barged" into Miss Scrivens with her food tray in the school dining

room at lunctime. Miss Scrivens had shouted at her "don't push me" and "don't barge into me" or words to that effect. _FOR OUR FREE DAILY BRIEFING ON THE

BIGGEST ISSUES FACING THE NATION,__ SIGN UP TO THE WALES MATTERS NEWSLETTER HERE_ On the final day of the remote hearing on June 6 panel chair Robert Newsome said the committee had decided

there were "aggravating factors" and this was "a serious incident". Despite it being an apparently one-off event it was "a significant physical intervention" on

the child by Miss Scrivens. It had "impacted" other children and members of staff who were also present, the girl was "upset" and there was "some evidence" she

was left with "bruising". Article continues below "It took place in school in a public place in the presence of others," the committee chair said, "there is

evidence that Pupil A and staff were distressed. There is evidence to indicate that Child A had been bruised on her arm." Earlier on in the hearing the panel was told that when asked

about the incident by headteacher Lisa Bowden the teaching assistant, who had worked at the school since 2016, told her she had been "comforting Pupil A as she had not eaten her

dinner". Miss Scrivens, who denied all the allegations against her, said she had used the "caring C" technique, a method of placing hands in a non-restraining way on a child.

Representing the teaching assistant Dr Francis Graydon said: "This was a single act, not a concerted course of conduct" by his client. He told the panel that Child A was

"challenging". Dr Graydon said Miss Scrivens presented no risk to children and provided good character references, including from her current employer working with vulnerable

adults. Some of these references described her as "highly organised" and "calm". Although Child A's mother had provided a photo of red marks on a child's arm,

there was no absolute evidence that this was the result of Miss Scrivens taking hold of Child A's wrist. Nonetheless the committee found it proved that on November 9 2022 Miss Scrivens

took hold of Pupil A’s wrist and/or arm, when it was not reasonable and used more force than was reasonable. This was judged to amount to unacceptable professional conduct. A second

allegation that having taken hold of Pupil A’s wrist and/or arm on 9 November 2022 Miss Scrivens did not report it until prompted to, was found not proved. Suspending Miss Scrivens from the

EWC register for a year, the panel chair said she could re-join from that date. Article continues below She has the right of appeal to the High Court within 28 days.