'JUDO' not want to mess around in this teacher's class.

During the day, Christian Pountain heads up the religious education department at St Christopher's Church of England School, in Accrington, but by night he is a black belt using his forces for good.

Mr Pountain, who runs the school's judo club, is a respected judoka — a judo practitioner — and recently won the right to represent Great Britain at the upcoming European and World Masters Championships.

Last month, he took part in the British Open Masters Championships in Kidderminster, winning four of five fights, landing him a silver medal.

The 39-year-old has been competing since first attending Hyndburn Leisure Centre when he was aged just five, and said it was the first time he will represent his country.

He said: "Strangely enough, I represented Wales because I went to university there, and I have fought for the north west, but this would be the first time fighting for my country."

Mr Pountain has worked at the school for seven years, and said he often uses judo in the classroom — but not physically of course.

He said: "Judo literally means 'the gentle way'. Instead of opposing force with force, it's about taking your opponent's momentum and using it against them. I use it in the classroom in terms of behaviour management to convince them rather than confronting them.

"There's an element of respect."

And although there have been several close calls outside of school, Mr Pountain said he has yet to use his expertise to properly defend himself.

He said: "There have been a couple of occasions where I have come very close, but it prevents situations from starting in the first place.

"One that stands out in my mind is a guy who punched me twice and my view was not to be a hero but to put him on the floor and run. But as soon as I got hold of him he broke down in tears!

"Just having the confidence judo gives you I think puts people off and makes them think twice."

Around 40 to 50 youngsters at the school now attend a judo club every Friday, and although Mr Pountain launched and runs the club, he said the 'passion' of maths teacher Chris Welsh has led to the club's popularity.

Mr Pountain added: "Judo is multifaceted. You get the same benefits as you would from any sport, but there's also a unique sense of discipline. It's about the etiquette, bowing, and making sure the uniform is smart."

The European and World Masters Championships is expected to be held in Amsterdam late next year, although a date had yet to be confirmed.