A "dedicated and inspirational" maths teacher has been reprimanded for being found locked in a cupboard with a pupil at Harrow High School by a colleague.

Emmanuel Anumihe was formally reprimanded by the General Teaching Council today for the incident on May 25 2007 when the tutor was found in the walk-in supply room with the female Year 11 student.

It was the last day of term and around 5pm, the disciplinary panel was told.

The hearing in Birmingham heard the pupil had asked for help with Maths at the Gayton Road school, and became locked in the cupboard when looking for a CD.

Anumihe and the girl, referred to in the hearing as "Pupil A" in the hearing, were discovered locked in when another teacher, Mr Boukhemia, used his own key to unlock the door.

Ordering a formal reprimand to stay on his file for two years the panel recorded in its ruling: "You failed to exercise proper judgment and you created a compromising situation, which was potentially damaging to the reputations of Pupil A, the school, the teaching profession and yourself.

"By being in a locked cupboard, you also put the safety and well being of pupil A, to whom you owed a duty of care, at risk, although we accept Pupil A's evidence that she did not feel distressed or threatened at the time, and came to no harm."

But the three-man panel said it was "not wholly convinced by your assertion that the lock to the cupboard door was faulty and that you did not realise the door was locked. However, if the lock was faulty, it was all the more unwise of you to close the door with pupil A and yourself inside, particularly given that the school was closing for half-term.

"This was a grave error of judgment on your part."

The deputy head of his current school, named only as Mr Bashford, spoke highly of Anumihe and the panel said it was satisfied this was an isolated incident and that he was a "dedicated and inspirational figure."