Teacher banned for locking special needs children in 'time out room' A head teacher who locked children alone in a "time out room" to teach them how to behave has been banned by a disciplinary body. Annette Sale, 64, was head of the Phoenix Centre, a special needs school for children aged five to 11 in Redhill, Surrey, between 2004 and 2010. A disciplinary hearing of the Teaching Agency was told that she locked children alone in a room for long periods in an effort to control their behaviour. Her conduct was reported to Surrey council in 2010 by a whistleblower. The Teaching Agency, which took over from the General Teaching Council last year, was told that Mrs Sale, a teacher since 1968, was sacked after an investigation. Following a three-day hearing, she was found guilty of professional misconduct. She was also found to have failed to monitor incidents involving the physical restraint of children properly and failed to take account of child protection concerns reported by her staff. Mrs Sale was banned from teaching indefinitely and told she could only apply for the ban to be lifted in 2015