According to the TRA report, Eckles said the incident had arisen after a pupil in her classroom had repeatedly refused to put his laptop away while playing a game.
She said her hand had accidentally made contact with the boy’s face when she “overbalanced” as she tried to take the laptop away from him while he tried to push her away and grab the laptop back.
Eckles also provided evidence that “she did not have sufficient trained staff around her, that Pupil A had thrown laptops at her on previous occasions and that the school was an unsafe and unsupported environment”, according to the report.
However, the panel found that “the subject matter of the criminal conviction would be likely to have an impact on safety or security of pupils or members of the public” and “would be likely to affect public confidence in the teaching profession”.
It also found Eckles had not demonstrated remorse for the incident.
The report added: “The panel was extremely troubled by the offence against a child of which Ms Eckles had been convicted and considered that it could have no assurance that such actions would not be repeated.”