A long-serving former headteacher said he feels harshly treated after being slapped with an indefinite teaching ban.

A misconduct hearing found that Ian McCann, from Huncoat, fell below appropriate professional standards and was dishonest, after he went on a term-time trip to Cuba while off work with stress.

Mr McCann, who taught at Haslingden Primary for 24 years before joining Rosewood Primary in Burnley as headteacher, had requested leave of absence from governors to take part in a charity bike ride in October 2015 to commemorate his father, who had died the previous year. However, they had refused.

After his request was refused, Mr McCann, now 59, obtained a doctor’s note stating he was unable to work for a three-week period, before returning to work on October 25.

The National College for Teaching and Leadership panel rejected Mr McCann’s claim that there was no link between the timing of his medical assessment and the Cuba trip, and concluded that he had “deliberately flouted the authority of the governing body”.

They stated: “The panel finds that it had always been the intention of Mr McCann to go on the cycle trip to Cuba during the autumn term of 2015 irrespective of the decisions of the governing body.”

They found that this amounted to “dishonest conduct” and a failure to maintain “appropriate professional standards.”

Mr McCann has been banned from teaching indefinitely after the Secretary of State upheld the panel findings - although he could apply for it to be lifted in 2020.

He told the Observer he had made “mistakes” under real stress but said he had “deep regrets” that his unpaid leave request for a cause “very dear to his heart” had been rejected.

He added: “This after loyal service to the local authority for 35 years and ten years as the head. Also sincere regrets to be ending my career in this way when the situation became impossible and caused me to act uncharacteristically in that way.

“The punishment seems very harsh. I never intended to set pupils a bad example.

"I am glad for the wonderful support I have had from large numbers of people that I taught, know or worked with in Haslingden, Accrington and Burnley.

“I regret the mistakes I obviously made but also understand the seriousness and disruption caused.”