A primary school teacher who was convicted of slapping one of her pupils across the face has been banned from teaching indefinitely. Helena Eckles, 53, who had taught at Hall Cliffe Primary School, Wakefield, since November 2023, was convicted at Leeds Magistrates Court for "assault by beating" in March last year, and has now been prohibited from teaching. Despite her conviction, Eckles has maintained her innocence regarding the 21 May 2024 incident, claiming she had slipped and struck the boy accidentally. According to evidence assessed by a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel, the incident occurred in the classroom when Eckles allowed children to play computer games on laptops after completing their work. The child, referred to in documents as "Pupil A", refused to stop playing the game, despite being repeatedly asked, at which point, Eckles began to unplug and pack away the laptop herself, the TRA evidence states.…