Former Dundee maths teacher Mike Barile has warned it is only a matter of time before a teacher kills a child in the classroom because of stress caused by the unruly behaviour of pupils.
Mr Barile fought a two-year battle to have his conviction for assaulting two unruly pupils quashed and he says the case of a 50-year-old teacher in England who attacked a pupil with a dumbbell shows how stress can have violent and dangerous consequences.
Peter Harvey repeatedly struck a 14-year-old on the head with the dumbbell after being taunted by pupils at All Saints’ Roman Catholic School in Nottinghamshire.
The science teacher, who had 20 years’ experience, shouted “die, die, die” as he carried out the attack.
He was cleared of attempted murder but has been sentenced to a two-year community order and will never be able to work with children again.
Mr Harvey has said pressure on teachers has turned many of them into “ticking time bombs” waiting to explode a view Mr Barile endorses.
“I totally sympathise and understand the situation that he got himself into and I think he’s spot on there are lots of ticking timebombs waiting to go off,” said the former Lawside Academy and Madras Academy teacher.
“There is going to be a tragic situation if authorities and those in responsibility don’t face up to the fact that there is a problem with indiscipline.”Breaking pointMr Barile said he believes it is only a matter of time before a teacher actually kills a pupil in the classroom.
“I can see that happening very easily that a teacher reaches breaking point and there is no return, especially if it happens in a room where there are knives or things,” he said.
“Once teachers have been identified as being under that kind of stress they need to be given the support that is currently totally lacking.”
He said teachers who complain about stress fear they may be victimised and given the worst classes in an attempt by managers to force them from the school.
“What tends to happen is teachers who are seen as a problem are given the classes at the bottom with the less desirable pupils these can be real ghetto classrooms,” he claimed.
“Teachers know this is happening which makes the stress worse so that is why they are terrified of admitting to any problem.”
Mr Harvey was charged with attempted murder but was cleared after it emerged his pupils had set out to deliberately provoke the father-of-two.
He has been sacked from his position as a teacher but unions claim he should have been retired on grounds of ill health instead.