A primary school teacher accused of indecent behaviour towards his pupils could be struck off the teaching register today.

Timothy McMahon, resigned from Audley Primary School in Stechford Birmingham, after a string of complaints from parents.

The school had threatened to dismiss him after it was alleged he slapped a girl’s bottom, sniffed a child’s hair, filmed PE lessons without permission and wrote “over-familiar” letters to some former pupils over a period of five years.

Mr McMahon could be banned from the profession for life if he is found guilty of misconduct at the General Teaching Council today.

An independent report on the teacher concluded that he did not pose a risk to children and police chose not to pursue an investigation.

But the school’s head said he was not prepared to take the risk of allowing him to continue teaching. “I feel he may represent a risk to children entrusted to him and it would only be a matter of time until more serious allegations were made,” Neil Baker, head teacher at Audley Primary said.

Mr McMahon stands accused of having made a girl wearing a skirt do press-ups in front of class in February 2003. The pupil said she thought he was looking at her legs but Mr McMahon said he was joking and did not realise that the girl was upset.

He was pulled off choir master duty after a complaint that he sniffed a girl’s hair and told her “rude jokes” in October 2003.

The teacher is also accused of slapping a girl, known as Pupil B, on the bottom and making her feed him a banana.

Mr McMahon was given a final written warning from the school in December 2003 but the inappropriate behaviour continued according to Mr Baker.

Mr McMahon is also accused of having filmed a PE lesson without consent and storing the footage on his laptop computer.

Times Recommends

• An officer and a gentle woman
• Dame Helen Mirren is worthy of the Epidaurus
• Foods that can help to prevent swine flu