Teacher told 'red-faced' student to 'f*** off' after being called a 'fat c***'
A teacher has admitted swearing at a student after being insulted, with the exchange escalating in a school corridor. Morgan Jones, formerly head of religious studies, told a professional standards hearing how he responded inappropriately when confronted by an "aggressive" year 11 pupil who called him a "fat c***".
At the time of the incident, Mr Jones was 28 and has since offered a heartfelt apology for his behaviour towards three other students.
The Education Workforce Council's fitness to practise panel heard about Mr Jones' own admission of calling a year eight student "a tramp" and suggesting the child "should go back to the special class". He also acknowledged telling another student to "shut your face" and referring to a third as "a freak".
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Mr Jones highlighted the lack of support he experienced at at secondary school Ysgol Rhiwabon in Wrexham, citing an absence of effective policies to manage challenging behaviour, reports WalesOnline.
He explained that during the episode with the year eight student labelled "a tramp", nearly half of the pupils in his form were on behaviour reports. The panel learned that this particular student, who usually attended the school's special resource base, was known to be difficult.
On the day in question, there was disruption in a lower-ability year eight class. The pupils, aged around 12 to 13, mostly had a reading age of six.
The boy in question arrived late, requested a pen, and proceeded to make unkind remarks about the teacher's weight, asking if he "sunk the Titanic" or if he "ate the whole menu in Burger King", before calling the teacher a tramp.
Mr Jones admitted to the panel that he responded jokingly, referring to the pupil as a tramp as well, before telling him to leave the classroom.
In a separate occurrence, Mr Jones conceded that he shouted "shut your face" at a student known as Learner B during a school assembly, believing the pupil had called him "the n word". However, he denied bending over the child as he yelled.
The pupil maintained that he had actually called the teacher "nugget", not "the n word", according to what was discussed at the hearing. Niki Davies Bottomley, overseeing pastoral and academic support for year 10 and witness to the assembly incident, considered Mr Jones' reaction to be "disproportionate".
She described to the panel how Mr Jones' shout was so loud it silenced the entire assembly hall. She pointed out: "There's a difference between shouting and shouting extremely loudly. As I saw it it was disproportionate...it was the volume, the phrase and the tone."
Ms Davies Bottomley recounted that Mr Jones had moved in very close to Learner B and yelled "shut your face" at the pupil, which she viewed as "quite aggressive".
In a separate episode, just after an assembly, Mr Jones explained that he was on his way back to the classroom with his form when Learner Three lagged behind, noisily shouting his name. Upon reaching the classroom, the student started kicking the door, and when queried by Mr Jones, brusquely responded with a demand for him to "f*** off".
"I was in my form room with Learner Three screaming and [he was] kicking at the door. When I asked what he was doing he told me to "f*** off" and went off and I said 'goodbye freak boy'," Mr Jones stated during the hearing.
Headteacher Melanie Ferron-Evans, who first hired Mr Jones as a Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT) in 2015 and later promoted him to head of religious studies, regarded him as a very passionate staff member. However, she observed a noticeable change in Mr Jones following a severe bout of Covid during the pandemic; he returned to work appearing "different", "anxious", and displaying a more negative attitude.
She admitted her failure to remember whether the student who insulted Mr Jones was expelled, but she refuted any suggestions of an ineffective behaviour policy at the school. Ms Ferron-Evans acknowledged that some students posed a challenge, yet she assured that staff were informed about which pupils had extra learning requirements, with support available for teachers if these students joined their classes from the learning resource base.
Mr Jones, currently teaching at Ysgol Clywedog in Wrexham, expressed his passion for the profession to the panel and shared his contentment with his new role at a school he praised for its effective behaviour policy. He acknowledged that his conduct during the incidents at his former school was inappropriate and conveyed that he has since undertaken stress management work.
He opened up about being "in a very dark chapter in my life" during those times and conceded that his handling of the pupils was not as it should have been. At that period, he was undergoing diagnosis for sleep apnoea and suffering from severe lack of sleep, managing only three hours a night.
Additionally, Mr Jones was coping with the emotional turmoil of ending a nine-year relationship with his partner. He also recounted the pressure of facing his first Estyn inspection, for which he had diligently prepared during half term and worked until 2am upon returning to school.
Despite these challenges, he insisted that he did not seek to justify what he admitted was unacceptable conduct. Addressing the panel, he stated: "I have never denied what I said. I carry this with me and am ashamed." Reflecting on the time of the incidents, when he was 28, he described it as "during the worst year of my life".
Visibly moved and at times tearful, he recognised in hindsight the need for taking time off work and attributed his actions to uncharacteristic stress-induced behaviour.
The episode where Mr Jones told a student to "f*** off" is not included in the allegations being considered at the hearing. However, he recounted this event while describing some of the challenging behaviour he encountered at the school.
Recalling the incident, Mr Jones informed the panel that a year 11 pupil became confrontational when reminded that the corridor was one-way. "His face was red and he was very aggressive and I thought he was going to hit me," he said.
"He called me a 'fat c**t' and then again and I said 'f*** off'. He was shocked and I was scared and worried the student was going to assault me. I was on my own with an aggressive student, a crowd was building and I reacted in the wrong way. I was young and inexperienced and did not handle it well."
Mr Jones faces the following allegations, all of which he admits apart from the part of one allegation that he "bent over" a pupil as he shouted:
That he was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct at Ysgol Rhiwabon, in that:
1. He acted in an inappropriate manner, in that:
(a) on or around 13 March 2023, he told Learner One:
(i) he was a "Tramp"; and/or
(ii) that he "should go back to the special class", or words to that effect;
(b) on or around 15 March 2023:
(i) in response to Learner Two referring to him as a "nugget", he bent over (not admitted) and shouted close to Learner Two's face and/or told him to "shut your face", or words to that effect;
(ii) he referred to Learner Three as a "freak", or words to the effect.
2. The facts of paragraphs 1(a)(i) and/or 1(a)(ii) and/or 1(b)(i) and/or 1(b)(ii) constitute unacceptable professional conduct when considered individually; and/or together.
The hearing continues.
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