To think the School overreacted in Expelling Pupil and calling Police for a stunt,when a "bollocking would have been enough".

[smokepole]

Jacob Dowdle, a year 13 Pupil at Altrincham Grammar school on the last day of term May 16, put a paper plate with whipped cream in to his year heads face.

This was a very "Stupid" thing to do, but no harm was meant or injury caused yet the school called the Police and summary expelled him. The teacher was seeking a prosecution for the stunt, when she was not injured The teacher although upset , should have had the grace to except that it was a poor stunt , ( or like most teachers on the last day taken it on the chin as overexcited students behaviour).

No-one touches a teacher on any basis, period. This is an absolute rule.
You're not allowed to pie a stranger on the street, teachers enjoy no less protection.

Dowdle's behaviour gave Tim Gartside no choice. Expulsion may have little practical impact on this particular boy but the Head is restating the boundaries to the entire school body: his staff, the pupils and their parents for obvious reasons.

He's very lucky he didn't get a criminal record for assault. Furthermore, trying to redirect negativity at the school in the Telegraph instead of taking full responsibility for his behaviour (calls upon the school to uphold his best interests...) would suggest he's clearly not mature enough for university anyway.

Barbaracox, couldn't agree more. Well said.

No. Imagine if there's no cream on the plate and he smashes on her face is that ok? Of course not.

Telegraph says he's expected to get Bs. That's no way high enough for a Newcastle offer.

So he's almost certainly one of those delightful yr 13 students who doesn't like their predicted grades and feels that it is a personal slight not to have been predicted A*s across the board on the basis of lacklustre AS results or a poor work ethic.

It would also explain his perception that his head of year "had it in for him". FFS.

Sadly it's more common than you'd think.

"But we’re not the best of friends, she’s just not got a sense of humour when it comes to me. I think that’s why they’ve taken it that far. If it was another pupil she liked she would have reacted completely differently"

Just proves how fucking stupid he is then, doesn't it?

If a teacher hates you, why go giving them ammunition (and what ammunition!) to legitimately drop you in a whole heap of shit?

Of course, no one else is responsible for the petition and Sad Face in the Press but boy wonder himself. His own actions have ensured this will live long in local collective memory.

The bowl at the end seems to be a melamine bowl entirely separate to the paper plate of shaving foam/cream.

The boy is a total idiot who deserves everything he got.

"Mr Dowdle said the school's reaction to the prank could “completely ruin my life”". Well, perhaps Mr Dowdle should have thought of that earlier. It was the prank that could ruin his life, not the reaction from the school and the person he assaulted.

OP - it's assault. What part of that don't you understand.

Some of the comments in the Telegraph are odious - apparently girly teachers who can't take it should only teach in convents.

I haven't read all the replies in this thread but I fully support the school. Why should any teacher have to put up with that? Would anyone else put up with that in their place of work?

Without wanting to sound over dramatic I think schools really need to start clamping down on stuff like this before a prank goes to far and there is another tragedy in a school.

What are some of you on about? It is not a china plate, you can quite clearly see it is bent in his hand before she comes out of the door!

I think they have gone OTT. They didn't punish another child who burst a water balloon over another teacher, apparently that teacher laughed it off!

Jason Manford loves a bandwagon. Though to be fair he did well with the last one he jumped on.

I haven't seen the video. Going by what has been said here, the school go it right. Smashed china plate, really?

"This goes on my record forever and will hinder me in job and university applications. The school is not looking out for my best interests or for the interests of the school itself.”

This is the pupil's comment about the expulsion, the article I read may not be his full comments but I couldn't find an apology to the teacher in there. It's all me, me, me, me. If anyone has harmed his prospects it is himself.

I think the posting on youtube and refusing to take it down initially or say who had posted it compounded the original offence and resulted in the expulsion. I don't think that teachers should have to put with this, schools should take a stand against it and support their employees.

Fairy - no matter what the plate is made of, is this acceptable at work? Would YOU just laugh it off?

Not for one moment would I expect any of the sixth formers where I work to behave like that. That is cruel, humiliating and premeditated.

I am very disappointed by Jason Manford's reaction to this. It's not funny at all and I can't really understand his logic. Even if the teacher and student had a great relationship and they all laughed afterwards, it's still undermining and embarrassing them in public.

I think they have gone OTT. They didn't punish another child who burst a water balloon over another teacher, apparently that teacher laughed it off!

Says who? Pie Boy. Are we supposed to just take his word for it?

OP are you the poster with major issues about schools that started the 'blazer' and 'that school' thread? Posting style and choice of subject is very familiar.

I personally would have laughed it off if it had been done in good humour and I'd got on with the kid over the years and knew he was fundamentally a good kid but by all accounts there was a history between them so he thought he'd humiliate her and get her back so she got him back by pushing for the assault charge. It is assault in the eyes of the law - even touching someone gently can deemed as that - so he was stupid to think there'd be no repercussions. I hope it's down off Facebook now.

The talk about china plates etc and bits falling it were so dumb - if it had been china she'd be in hospital now and there would have been blood pouring everywhere and he'd be in a cell. It was so obviously paper from the way he was holding it plus in the clip it's on the ground and the plastic bowl or whatever it was falls about 4 seconds later.

If he can't take his punishment then he shouldn't have done it.

It is not alright for pupils to humiliate and abuse their teachers. It is certainly not alright for the pupil to video the teacher being humiliated and abused. And it is not alright for them to then upload the video for all to see.

This went way beyond a normal end of school prank.

He is 17/18 so well old enough to know its wrong.

He can't blame anyone else for any potential damage to his future career. He did it himself.

Or should teachers continue to lie back and let pupils rule to roost and take whatever they throw at them?

Yes, EvilTwins, because it was "Prank day" and this was a "prank"!

Year 13??

Absolutely old enough to know better!

Let's see if they have a prank day next year, as their students are obviously still not clear on what is a prank and neither are the staff.
That's the problem with unwritten rules, too much flexibility as to what is and isn't OK.

Initially, I thought sense of humour fail. Having read the little boy's victim nonsense in the papers and seen the video, I now think the school did exactly the right thing. Many heads would not defend staff in this way and this head did exactly the right thing.
I think it's a sign of how inured teachers have had to become to all the disrespect that my initial reaction was to think 'can't they take a joke?'
Actually, why should we? It's all about context and it's clear from the video and the boy's remarks that this isn't exactly a 'joke'
There's a world of difference between a custard pie and a stabbing, but actually .... it's not a huge world of difference when it's older female teachers wanting the best for young male students who are so immature as to frame it as 'she doesn't like me' or 'she has it in for me' and therefore thinking they can lash out.

He's 18, he knows right from wrong. He chose to do this, then upload it to the internet and he's whining about how it may affect his future.

He's darn lucky to not have a criminal record and should get over himself!

Last year the S6's who were leaving got white boiler type suits and face masks like the scream one and were flung out of the school by the management team after scaring an S1.

There is pranks but everyone has to find it funny, if they don't you have to accept that not everyone has your sense of humour and adjust it.

A 'prank' is something deone between 2 (or more) people who have agreed to take part in it, that perhaps has some mild effect on a wider group of people (so a clown's bucket of soapsuds over another cast member, even over a selected member iof the audience, is a 'prank' becauase everyone involved is signed up to the joke).

Deliberate targeting and deliberate filming with intent to post on FB and humiliate thev teacher involved is not a prank. Tbh it is the filming and lack of remorse / willingness to remiove from FB is what really brings on the punishmenrt. A private joke played on a popular and well-liked teacher known to be happy for such things to happen, going no further than those present at the time? Much less of a problem.

They didn't punish another child who burst a water balloon over another teacher, apparently that teacher laughed it off!

1/ We don't know if that actually happened.
2/ If it did it was probably planned so that the teacher could bring in a change of clothing.
3/ He sounds like a dick who wanted to get revenge on a teacher that he didn't like.