Teacher arrested for attempted murder

If this crime happened on Monday then it's a bit odd to be posting this on Saturday worried about how the fall-out will impact behaviour, surely that will have already been observed, or not, this week?

I find someone who's committed a domestic murder/attempted murder a lot less of a concern then the amount of paedophiles that work in schools up and down the country.

The difference with Couzens was that his previous criminal activity was reported and ignored. His colleagues knew how problematic he was and joked about.

"We couldn't possibly have foreseen this" is simply untrue in Couzens' case. Hence the suspicion and distrust of the system that allowed him to continue his criminality.

From my experience I'd say teachers today are far more professional than they've ever been. Certainly more than when I was at school in the 70s.

It's not a guarantee someone won't go on to commit a crime in the future

Or haven’t been caught.

It makes the news when a teacher, doctor or police officer is arrested and parents are worried because their little angel may have been taught by that teacher in the past and why weren't checks done.
It is more likely that a child in the school will stab someone - particularly in parts of major cities. We can't do checks that a young person is in a gang or involved in drug dealing but are bigger risks to the community.

Does Lucy Letby represent all nurses? Does Harold Shipman represent all doctors?

I think this is a very valid point.

No one has called for a change to the DBS scheme or vetting in those professions. It's accepted that, however awful those people's crimes were, they represented themselves and not their profession. Why would teaching be any different?

As for the DBS vetting and any of the other schemes in place (the last time I was employed as a teacher, I had to sign declarations to the effect that I wasn't living with anyone who had sexual convictions against children and a 99 List declaration).

It's widely recognised that the DBS is there to protect businesses/schools/charities etc in the event that someone goes on to commit a crime in the future - we couldn't have known, they haven't been convicted of anything before. As long as safer recruitment processes have been followed, the business/school/charity can prove they'd done their bit and are safe. It's not a guarantee someone won't go on to commit a crime in the future.

Haven’t read the full thread, but there are over half a million teachers in the U.K.
There are also violent and criminal men in all walks of life.

YABU in inferring that the standards of teachers have fallen, based on this experience.

I've reported this thread. It is a contempt of court to publish anything to the public which creates a substantial risk that the course of justice in the proceedings in question will be seriously impeded or prejudiced, even if there is no intent to cause such prejudice. Individual posters on this thread may well have committed an offence.

Not sure that's true. Some of the sixth form boys at my local school are bigger than most of the female staff and some of the male. As teenagers with their brains not fully grown and hormones going crazy I think the big teenagers probably are a risk.

On the other hand maybe you'd be a bit more wary of being lippy if you thought teachers could lose it and murder you? The problem with some teenagers seems to be they think they are untouchable, maybe it will give them a reality check.

When I was at school, 60s mainly, we were a bit frightened of teachers, I didn't think they'd kill us but hit us with a cane? Yes.

We currently have police officers in prison for rape and murder, shop keepers in prison for theft. A person's career has no impact on whether they may commit a crime! If it did it would make catching criminals far easier. I'm sure the remaining staff will be highly impacted and questioning everything they thought they knew about him. You need to support your child and nothing more. The school will sort out support for any that need it, including staff.

Children are always going to be more at risk from adults than vice versa.

Ditto Couzens but you’ll never hear that POV here.

wronguns in every walk of life OP.

I get where you're coming from but it is concerning that you have let this affect how you are viewing male teachers, and also why you hold such high respect for them?

Not that they shouldn't be respected but its not a surprise that of all the people employed as teachers there will be some who do something shocking.

Teachers are human and many people do stupid senseless things in their free time (referring to them doing drugs, bullying neighbours, etc). Teachers also have mental health issues.

This is an extreme event where the roles could easily be reversed- a woman stabbing a man.

Most teachers will not be on a power trip and are trustworthy.

Unfortunately there are some disturbed people in this world that work in all sorts of jobs that are teaching, healthcare, social care. People you pass at the shop, your neighbour, etc.

It's definitely a shock as it's so close to home but try not tar all male teachers as a danger.

I think it's a myth that teen know it all thing.many teens never had it

That’s not really how school communities work. I’ve been teaching fir 30 years and in my experience, when something awful happens, staff and students rise to the challenge and behave very well. While there is a recruitment and retention crisis this is just an unconnected thing and the fact that he’s a teacher is irrelevant. He could have been a doctor or a dentist or a solicitor.

Well there are many smart suited , big, young, testosterone filled bearded tw...to in teaching now because teaching has become very ageist.if the daughter in this situation then becomes lippy you don't just accept it or sidecwith her, you explain that humans do bad things whatever their job
Does she believe in Harry Potter world? Do your job as a patent ffs.

They do not get that control of weaker smaller people in school as the children are more in control than the teachers. Hence why many are conditioned to be disrespectful to the teachers and not listen to them. Some are respectful and listen but in the main children are taught that their voice is more important than all others in the room and must be heard and that what they want, goes. When teachers challenge that they then get the attitude, threats and sometimes abuse. That is how it goes for the main part!

I could tell you stories that would straighten pubic hair!

what a surprisingly gross turn of phrase….

There are wrong uns in all professions. I've worked for 45 years in a profession that has an outlet in all major towns and cities and I could tell you stories that would straighten pubic hair!

I know of four that should be in jail from stuff i have directly witnessed and these are people that the public trust on a daily basis. At least 50% of what teachers do is in the public gaze. What goes on behind closed doors in professions and with professional people is beyond shocking.

You are understandably shocked, but right now you and the other parents need to rally round the school and the kids and support them.

It must be awful when someone in a position of responsibility, who you have trusted, is accused of a crime.

after i left, one of my old teachers was arrested for sex with a minor, his current gf was only 18 and 'everyone knew' they'd been together years. (school rumour mill was rife in other words)

Nothing surprised the others at the school, there had LONG been rumours about this teacher, and how he perved on the female students in the PE changing rooms, or looked up their netball skirts..etc.

Didn't make any of the lads go wild with copying him though.. we all thought he was gross.

There were others who had lesbian relationships, the HT was an alcoholic and everyone used to joke about the flask in his desk drawer. There was even one who was approaching retirement who was rumoured to be a martial arts expert who'd dangled a kid out the top floor of one of the buildings in the early years of his career at the school.

Most of it was absolutely crap, but kids are surprisingly quick to cotton on to anything 'weird' about teachers, so the ones caught are rarely considered role models by them.

How ironic your last sentence is

For you? Incredibly so..

Which is what I’ve said, repeatedly. But what I’ve said is, AT THIS TIME, there’s no need to start looking to blame potentially innocent people

Where did I say it’s ok to blame innocent people? You accused me of wanting a witch hunt, where did I say that?