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).

Or staff should have the right to refuse to come in on that day, if it is a day on which the usual rules are suspended. Or be allowed to retaliate.
Hmmm
That might be interesting.
Back to considering a knee in the balls as an appropriate response, or being thumped by a colleague of the assaulted member of staff.

Odious little prick. He deserves a criminal record for this.

A couple of weeks ago, I was verbally threatened by a parent after her daughter didn't show for an exam. The parent then posted the threats on FB. At my deputy head's suggestion, I called the police. The HT also got the police in and they duly visited the parent and warned her. I posted about it on here. Not one poster said I was unreasonable to report the incident. This is far worse - an actual assault, not just a threat, and yet some posters think it should have just been laughed off.

He hit her in the face.

It doesn't matter if his hand held a paper plate and foam which are soft, his hand isn't. If he hit her with the same force with a bare hand no one would think it was funny.

Adding foam doesn't mean it won't hurt.

He's an eejit.

I'm very surprised no one has mentioned the fact that teachers have been killed by pupils before - including one not very long ago! Letting this go starts a slipperly slope. Probably not for this pupil because he's leaving but what message does it give to others?

it was "Prank day" and this was a "prank"!

A prank is only acceptable if both parties find it funny. If you would be
happy with being humiliated both at your place of work and then on social media afterwards, fine. This teacher was not and considered it assault. As did the police.

Pranks on prank day are things that do not harm or humiliate people.

How is he being expelled ifit was the last day anyway.It was a non-punishment

Completely irrelevant what the plate is made of.

He assaulted a teacher.

He should therefore be punished.

Teachers should be allowed to do their job without abuse.

That was a china plate. It could have scarred her. Nasty nasty incident from an adult make to a female.

Unpleasant bully tactics. My lads wouldn't have dreamed of doing that at 18 or any age to a teacher.

At 18 lads should be protective of women.

The teacher although upset , should have had the grace to except that it was a poor stunt

So blame the victim because the kid that did this got what he deserved? She is a human being, no less deserving of his respect than a stranger.

And over excited children are allowed to do what they like now, are they?

1] would he have done this to a stranger on the street?
2] would he have done this to a male teacher?

It was definitely a paper plate. The noise after is something else falling.

He is blaming the teacher and school for not acting in his best interests. Maybe he needs to wise up and take responsibility for his own actions. He certainly hasn't done himself any favours.

I really don't believe in criminalising kids for teenage stupidity but someone this age should know better and realise the consequences. And it was assault. He clearly didn't get along with this teacher so it was designed to humiliate.

He's 18, not 8 and he should know better. I felt utter humiliation on behalf of the poor teacher. Can you imagine if a teacher did that to a pupil?! He's lucky the punishment wasn't worse. YABmassivelyU, OP.

It's not a prank if both parties weren't in on it and both found it funny.

A prank isn't deliberately assaulting and humiliating someone, having it filmed and having it uploaded onto social media.

It is so refreshing to see a HT and a school actually taking something like this seriously. All too often teachers are assaulted verbally and physically by pupils and schools insist in dealing with it in-house and the pupil gets away with it scotfree.

I know this. I was assaulted as a teacher by a child. Nothing gets done. There was no support from SMT. It's all hushed up. And the child learns nothing. And this isn't unusual. It's about time schools clamped down on pupils who feel it is fine to abuse their teachers.

I went to work in a male high security prison afterwards. Far more respect for the teachers there and far more back up and support too. Sad really isn't it that a prison is a safer environment than a secondary school.

It's a paper plate, you can see that from the way it bends in his hand. That's better clearly than a china plate, but really it's still not OK.

The teacher handled this correctly. By bleating to the press the boy is showing himself to be an immature, arrogant little arse.

A prank is a practical joke or mischievous act, which is what this was. He should have apologised, suspended and it taken off the web and that should have been it.

He claims the teacher hated him. I wonder why.

A prank is a practical joke or mischievous act, which is what this was.

No, it was common assault.

If someone walked up to you in the street and "pie-d" you, would you see it as a "mischievous act" Because I know I wouldn't!

The teachers are aware that pupils whether 16/18 possibly need a little bit of guidance as to what is acceptable on the last day.

He is probably more 18, than 16, to be honest & at 18 I had a mortgage & didn't think shoving cream in anyone's face was funny in the slightest. How about if he grabbed her breast, instead in 'hijinx' or called her an offensive name?

Why must we blame the victim for being violated? That just allows crap like this to happen over & over again. If my son (if I had one) did this, the bloody cops would be the very least of his worries.

Tim Gartside, headteacher at Altrincham Grammar School for Boys, said it was a ‘a planned assault’.

He said: “Like many schools, we like to mark the end of Year 13 and students have, from time to time, enjoyed clever, tasteful and original pranks that have neither harmed nor humiliated any individuals in the school.

Mr Gartside added: “Jacob Dowdle’s behaviour was not a prank. His slapping of a teacher in the face was a planned assault.

A prank is a practical joke or mischievous act, which is what this was. He should have apologised, suspended and it taken off the web and that should have been it.
And how would you feel if it were a 'prank' played on you or your child, in the street, at the park, in the classroom?
Would it be assault then?

The stupidest thing this stupid boy has done is go to the press, thereby guaranteeing that any prospective employer who googles him will see this straight away. He shouldn't have done it, he shouldn't be trying to justify it. And he really shouldn't have spoken to the press!

When he leaves university and goes for a competitive position on the job market, I am sure that his potential employees will google his name, along with all the other candidates.

Once they see that he has the potential to assault his boss, they will no doubt appoint someone else. That's one of life's hard facts. Your past has a way of catching up with you.

AICM. I thought it was a plastic Plate. I thought it was just like the "Phantom Custard Thrower" from a 1980s Saturday Morning Show , I did not realise it was a china plate. Clearly that makes a huge difference to the incident.

Schools should involve the police far more often when behaviour breaks laws.