{"id":37482,"date":"2022-06-21T07:32:44","date_gmt":"2022-06-21T07:32:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tahrir2day.com\/news\/2022\/06\/21\/overfamiliar-slough-sports-coach-banned-from-schools\/"},"modified":"2022-06-21T07:32:44","modified_gmt":"2022-06-21T07:32:44","slug":"overfamiliar-slough-sports-coach-banned-from-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tahrir2day.com\/news\/2022\/06\/21\/overfamiliar-slough-sports-coach-banned-from-schools\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Overfamiliar’ Slough sports coach banned from schools"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A sports coach who hugged elementary school students and allowed a girl to put bobbles in her hair was banned from teaching. <\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Andrew Watson, 29, has been warned to respect appropriate professional boundaries three times in seven months by managers at the Marish Academy Trust in Slough, Berkshire, a panel has heard.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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It concluded that his “inability to change” caused him “significant discomfort”. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Mr Watson cannot re-apply for his registration to be reinstated.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Academy Trust has been contacted for comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Mr Watson began working for the Trust in February 2019 as a coach and unskilled teacher at the Trust’s primary schools in Marish and Willow.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Concerns were raised a month later when staff said he “let students into his personal space and invade theirs” and that girls were “comfortable” touching him. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A formal meeting was held over his “over-familiarity” but further concerns were raised in May 2019. He received further advice in June and training in August of that year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A witness said they saw Mr Watson allowing and encouraging a girl to put hair ties in her hair around June. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In October 2019, another witness said they saw schoolchildren hugging Mr Watson in a playground and he allowed them to look at his mobile phone. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) said some of Mr Watson’s evidence was “unreliable and contradictory”. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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He claimed he took out his cell phone because a child was having an epileptic seizure and he called an ambulance. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But the TRA said there was “no evidence” that that happened. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Another staff member said they also went to an office in October 2019 to find Mr Watson alone in the room with girls.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The panel said Mr Watson had shown a “blatant disregard” of the trust’s “processes, procedures and policies”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A formal investigation into his behavior began in November 2019. He resigned a month later.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Keep following BBC South <\/i>Facebook, <\/i>Twitter<\/a>or <\/i>Instagram. Submit your story ideas to <\/i>south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n