A TEACHER who kissed and cuddled a schoolgirl defended himself by saying that was how he treated his own children. Jeffrey Cave, who taught at Willows Primary School, in Basildon, also pulled a boy’s hair and then told him that was how “teachers used to handle misbehaving pupils”.

He was found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct and has been reprimanded by the General Teaching Council.

Committee chairman Andy Connell says in the findings: “We are concerned Mr Cave’s actions, in making inappropriate physical contact and being verbally aggressive, fall below the standard of conduct expected and would fail to comply with accepted and reasonable standards in relation to child protection.”

Mr Cave, who resigned from Willows and retired from teaching in August 2008, was with another member of staff when he pulled the hair of the pupil in December 2007.

He then told the pupil that was how misbehaving students used to be handled.

In a separate incident, Mr Cave touched a girl pupil on her bottom over her clothing, allowed her to sit on his lap, kissed her head and cuddled her.

Mr Cave admitted in his witness statement kissing her head and cuddling her, but said that was the same way he showed affection to his own children.

He said during police interview he stroked the pupil’s bottom over clothing in a downwards motion to test if her trousers were dry.

The hearing heard Cave. who has had a clean professional history for 26 years. was going through a period of personal stress at the time of the incidents, and his actions were not sexually motivated.

Mr Cave has a right of appeal to the High Court within 28 days.