Teacher arrested for attempted murder

[Bottomofthebarrel]

This week a teacher at my DD’s secondary school was arrested for attempted murder. He stabbed a woman in the head and neck in broad daylight, and I believe he was only unsuccessful in killing her because other people intervened. She is in a critical condition in hospital, so he could be looking at a murder charge. This has all been in the news, including the BBC.

This man was teaching my own child until very recently. She was given an after school detention by him for being very slightly late to his lesson, and the detention was just him and her sat in a room. That sends shivers down my spine now. I can’t get the whole thing out of my head.

This must be so disturbing for all the kids at the school. I feel that the school are potentially going to struggle more with behaviour control from now on - this man was employed as one of their role models so I can’t help but feel they’ve lost the moral high ground. Not to mention the effect on those who are in their exam years and are now minus a subject teacher.

How the fuck does someone like that become a teacher? I must say in the last 9 years since my DC started secondary, I’ve come across a few - all of them male - teachers who have got my back up and seem to be definite ‘power tripping know it all’ types, and not particularly bright to boot. There’s another male teacher in another local school who was in the news, having to pay £200,000 damages to his neighbour after a childish bullying campaign which went on for years.

Is this the best we can do? I get teaching isn’t the most attractive profession, but it actually terrifies me that these people are supposed to be guiding and leading our children, sometimes on a one to one basis. My worry is that with the current shortage of teachers, and desperation to fill vacancies, the standards are going to sink even lower.

This isn’t a general teacher bashing thread, there are many truly wonderful ones out there, and I know it’s an incredibly difficult job. Just feeling very shaken by what has happened this week. My DD really didn’t like this man and I assumed it was her being a stroppy teen, now I feel awful for not taking her seriously.

We expect a certain level of stability, safety and dignity - absolutely. Not unreasonably.

The same should be the case for every single person no matter what job they work.

No, but her points are silly.

He's a role model - in all likelihood he's not. He's some wanker they didn't really like.

The children will be traumatised- no, it's going to be gossip and drama at their PE teacher was arrested for attempted murder

The children might use it as a reason not to do detention - unlikely, but it doesn't matter because they'll be going to detention anyway.

One of my teachers was sacked for a relationship with a y12/13. We all found him creepy and a dick. Nobody was traumatised, he became a joke. That's not to say what he did was a joke.

But unless they invent time travel to look into the future before hiring- what do you want? Is being a murderer in anywhere else in society ok? No. Why focus on the teacher part?

Is this a trick question? The OP has focused on the teacher part because the teacher was one of her dd teachers 🧐

I’d say this is the perfect opportunity for you to have a conversation with your daughter. Help her to talk about and process any feelings she may have. I’m fairly sure the school will be doing the same with their staff and students.

I would have much more respect for teachers overall if they were able to say of course it’s awful and thankfully rare, and most teachers are stable members of society. Rather than pouring petrol on an attempted murder by saying we drink, take drugs and are just like lorry drivers. Yeah he probably had mh issues ( brought on by the job - ie your kids) and is not our fault. Nothing is ever our fault.

Jusr zero empathy. Zero acknowledgement that this is hideous for the children. Zero accountability for your expected behaviour within society.

I don’t know what’s worse the attempted murder or the response on here.

@Newchapterbeckons, if you care to read even the opening line of this thread, you will see that the OP made this thread about teachers.

Spare us your ghoulish voyeurism.

I'm not minimising at all. Of course it's horrendous. I acknowledged that in my first post. OP's the one who conflated what happened to the poor woman to the state of male teachers and that's what I and others have responded to. I don't know what the impact on the children will be. OP is the one being hysterical about it triggering kids into stabbing each other without pointing out that, thankfully, none of the pupils witnessed it.

Frankly, the entire thread is disgraceful and should be taken down. It's awful that OP is using an attack on a woman to pit posters against each other. I'm stepping away now.

when someone raises about whether we are vetting teachers properly or toxic behaviour from teachers in schools we aren't allowed to do that? Why?

The Lucy Letby and Sarah Everard cases are different because the crimes happened as a direct result someone's job.

The fact that this man is a teacher isn't what gave him access to his victim and isn't what enabled him to stab her in broad daylight.

They're not comparable in that respect.

Did you read my post? I am saying the opposite replying to a poster who did say that.

You should make sure the school clarify to pupils that attempted murder is not acceptable behaviour even though it was a teacher that did it. Just for those pupils who might be unsure.

🙄 Honestly.

No, because many people are not charged with safe guarding children, shaping their world view and educating them!

Do you not grasp the responsibility and power you have? Clearly you should resign, if you are so unaware of your substantial responsibilities.

I think it is a big deal, will be very unsettling for the kids in the school, especially those who were taught by him. Kids are told to respect and obey teachers, and teachers have significant power over them, so to find one who is accussesed of such a violent crime is deeply unnerving.

It is a bigger news story because it's a teacher, because teachers are trusted with our children so effectively are held to a higher standard.

I don’t know what’s worse the attempted murder or the response on here.

Agree. I'm shocked at the response, particularly that two-thirds of people apparently think the OP is unreasonable. Imagine finding out that one of your child's teachers is going to be charged with murder or attempted murder. It would absolutely send shivers down your spine. It would also make me insist to the school that no child should ever be alone in a room with a male teacher, as happened to the OP's DD.

I was agreeing with you. I should have been more clear.

I thought the same. What was ops dd doing on her own after school with a male teacher? That alone is cause for concern.

I feel that the school are potentially going to struggle more with behaviour control from now on

Why? Poor behaviour is often down to parents not teachers. Maybe if we vetted parents more rigorously before admitting badly behaved kids into schools?

I feel sorry for the poor woman in this situation, we don’t know all the facts and are speculating.

What a ridiculous post.
Even the lippiest of kids wouldn't cross that line. What a moronic thing to say about the school loosing the moral high ground.

Cue visions of your Daughter being thrown into the back of a police van covered in blood shouting "BUT MR JONES THOUGHT IT WAS OK!".

There are good and bad in all professions. Doctors, nurses, teachers, social workers. All have good and bad in them. It's a fact of life.

Report it if you want.

I think it's important to keep things in context which was not evident in a lot of the thread. There is a lot of overreaction.

One man is not a reflection of all teachers.
All caretakers don't care the same risks as Ian Huntley, all nurses Lucy Letby, etc.

Yes what happened is horrific. Yes it's disturbing and worrying for the pupils and parents but the suggestion that we shouldn't have male teachers is beyond ridiculous.

Poor form to make vulgar jokes like that.

That's a bit of a stretch! Why is he already being excused on the grounds of having 'mental health issues'

Newsflash - hundreds of thousands of people have mental health issues and manage not to go out and stab someone!

Why just a male teacher?
Door should have been wide open if it's just one or a few children, regardless of the gender of the teacher.

There are DBS checks required in many, many jobs and they are a bit like car MOTs- only as accurate as the day they are carried out. A car can have an MOT and be fine then break down a week/month later. Similarly, a person can have a DBS and it's clear and then commit a crime a week/month later.

I understand it's disturbing with all the "what ifs" but I am not sure what else you expect the school to do. They carried out the relevant criminal checks and got references etc so thats really all they can do. They cannot predict a person's future intentions or mental melt downs. It is certainly horrific but unfortunately we all deal with potential risks veery single day of our lives and teachers are no different.