A SCHOOL has said its child protection policies work after a former teacher was banned from the classroom by an independent disciplinary panel.

Tariq Qureshi, aged 52, who taught maths at Bolton St Catherine’s Academy between 2009 and 2011, was banned after a Teaching Agency hearing found that he engaged in inappropriate physical contact with pupils, made friends with pupils on Facebook and made suggestive remarks to pupils, asked pupils if they were gay.

He also asked pupils if they were gay, slapped a pupil with a ruler, showed pupils a “sexualised” music video and accessed “inappropriate” material on a school computer.

School bosses say action was taken as soon as concerns were raised about Dr Qureshi.

Lee Harris, principal of Bolton St Catherine’s Academy, said: “The academy conducted a careful and thorough investigation into the professional conduct of Dr Qureshi and took the decision to refer him to the Independent Safeguarding Authority.

“Dr Qureshi has not taught at the academy since December 2010 and left the academy’s employ in February 2011.

“We believe the action taken by the Teaching Agency’s Professional Conduct Panel endorses the concerns the academy had about Dr Qureshi’s conduct and demonstrates the effectiveness of the academy’s safeguarding procedures.”

The Bolton News reported on Monday how Mr Qureshi has been banned from the classroom for at least three years by a disciplinary panel after being found guilty of “unacceptable professional conduct”

A parent raised a complaint and Dr Qureshi has been described by a pupil as “leery”.

She said he had “tickled her waist from behind and had images of girls on his mobile telephone and Facebook.

A meeting was held at St Catherine’s to discuss the concerns. It included the local authority designated officer, a representative from the police, from the human resources team at children’s services and Richard Senior, child protection officer at the academy.

The decision was made to suspend Dr Qureshi pending the outcome of an investigation.

Dr Qureshi is banned from teaching in any school, sixth-form college, youth accommodation, or children’s home in England.

He may apply for the order to be set aside, but not until 2016, and, if he does so, he will have to persuade a panel that he is fit to return to the classroom.