A TEACHER lost her bid to save her career yesterday when her conviction for assaulting a nine-year-old special needs pupil was upheld.

Catherine Brandley broke down in Chester Crown Court as Judge Elgin Edwards, dismissing her appeal, said that in his opinion she should never be allowed to work with children again.

Brandley was convicted of common assault in June after repeatedly prodding a boy in the chest and pushing him against a wall, banging his head.

The 53-year-old from Congleton had been just five days into a supply post at a primary school in Sandbach when the incident occurred last September.

She had denied the charge throughout, insisting that she acted professionally while disciplining the boy, who was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, for his disruptive behaviour in class.

But after just 20 minutes of deliberations, Judge Edwards told a stunned-looking Brandley that she had "blotted an otherwise impeccable teaching record by losing control momentarily".

Later, Judge Edwards said he was aware of the importance of the case both to Brandley and to the public but added: "This was a breach of professional duty of care and trust between teacher, pupil and and parents.

"Parents do not send their children to school to be assaulted by teachers. No child should be put at risk."

The mother-of-four remains suspended from the school pending a decision by the governors and Cheshire County Council.

In court, her barrister, Jeremy Lasker, said: "It is inevitable that she will lose her contract of employment and be unable to work again in her profession. It is a bitter blow for her."

After the verdict, Andy Kent, a regional organiser for the National Union of Teachers, said Brandley was devastated by the decision.

He said: "She always will deny the charges brought against her. She has found the stress of the last year almost too much to bear.

"She believes the case serves as a warning to other teachers who need to exercise the most extreme caution, especially when dealing with children with known behavioural problems and without the additional support that is required to keep all teachers and pupils safe in the classroom. She has had one devastating experience in 30 years of teaching.

"She still believes teaching is a noble and privileged profession but there must be questions asked about how teachers can be made to feel safe and protected and prevent what has happened to her happening to others."

Mr Kent said the case was symptomatic of a worrying trend: "There are concerns about shortages in teacher supply and this will have done nothing to inspire the confidence of those in the classroom or those considering a teaching career."

"More of these sorts of cases are now going through to the police and to the courts. In the past they would almost certainly have been dealt with by internal disciplinary procedures.

"I genuinely believe that the overwhelming majority of teachers will have nothing but sympathy for her in these circumstances."

In June, Brandley had been sentenced to 140 hours community service and ordered to pay £750 toward the costs of the prosecution and £100 compensation to the boy.

After hearing that she was unfit for work due to illness and depression, Judge Edwards replaced the sentence with a two-year conditional discharge.

But he upheld the original payment orders and ruled that she should pay a further £432 to cover the costs of her appeal and an undisclosed sum to pay for the Crown's defence.

A spokesman for Cheshire County Council said an internal disciplinary hearing would now be carried out: "It will examine whether or not Mrs Brandley has breached her code of conduct as a teacher and - dependent on the outcome - her future employment at the school," he said.