The Education Review Office has downgraded a kindergarten in the Hawke's Bay following the revelation that a newly trained teacher working there was allowed to hold children down to make them sleep.
Yesterday, the Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal deregistered Laura Hope Tregurtha over her actions, which they say constitute physical and psychological abuse, the NZ Herald reports.
The kindergarten at the centre of the scandal is Little Wonders Havelock North.
The Education Review Office has now downgraded the kindergarten's rating from well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children, which it had in 2015, to requires further development.
At the Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal hearing on May 22 Ms Tregurtha's representative, Ms Stone, put forward the argument that no one warned the new teacher that she was acting inappropriately while she worked at the kindergarten from July 2016 to March 2017.
"Ms Stone noted that the sleep and mat time practices were used over a period of time and her employer and colleagues did not tell her at any time that they were unacceptable," the NZ Herald reports the tribunal as saying.
"She submitted that as a recent graduate and inexperienced teacher, the respondent was entitled to rely on her employer to point out and correct any errors in her methods.
"The respondent was not provided with appropriate mentoring and guidance by her employer, and she had no intention to hurt or harm students."
The tribunal didn't accept the argument.
Ms Tregurtha resigned from her position in April last year and was not teaching when the tribunal hearing took place in May this year.
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