Four teachers at the Build-a-Future school in Lincolnshire have been prohibited from teaching after an investigation revealed a pattern of abusive and dangerous behavior towards pupils during the 2020 lockdown.

Investigation Reveals Disturbing Conduct

A shocking investigation uncovered sustained misconduct and unacceptable behavior at the Build-a-Future boarding school between September 2020 and January 2021. The school catered to children with complex needs who could not access mainstream education.

Teachers Involved

The teachers banned from the profession are headteacher Adam Webb, deputy headteacher Alison Simmons, woodwork teacher Thomas Hayward, and tutor Matthew Oyitch. Evidence showed a deeply disturbing environment under their leadership.

Details of the Abuse

The misconduct included teachers engaging in dangerous and demeaning activities with pupils. This involved playing with the carcass of dead animals, throwing projectiles at children, and using highly offensive and abusive language.

Specific Incidents

Reports detailed teachers throwing aerosols into bonfires and encouraging pupils to climb onto roofs without safety measures. Violent ‘play fights’ were also initiated. Mr. Hayward engaged in inappropriate physical contact with a pupil, and teachers routinely bullied and singled out children for abuse.

Students were denied food based on their weight, and racist slurs were commonplace. The investigation panel determined that Mr. Webb’s actions towards one student amounted to ‘borderline child cruelty’, involving consistent mocking and shaming.

Investigation and Aftermath

The situation came to light after a whistleblower provided a comprehensive dossier of evidence to the police in January 2021, leading to arrests for assault and neglect. Although criminal charges were dropped, professional conduct hearings resulted in all four teachers being permanently barred from teaching.

The school sites, located in East Heckington and West Ashby, have undergone changes. The West Ashby location has been sold, and the East Heckington site now operates under new management with reported improvements.

Grim Details of School Atmosphere

Specific incidents included Mr. Hayward bringing a dead pheasant to school and encouraging a pupil to hit it. He also killed baby chicks in front of students and instructed them to ‘play bat and ball’ with a dead cockerel, with Mr. Webb actively encouraging the activity.

Egg fights, initiated by teachers, were frequent, and pupils were regularly targeted with stones. During a BBQ, Ms. Simmons deliberately brought 40 eggs to throw at the children. Pupils were allowed to operate a cherry picker and climb onto a roof, where they were then pelted with projectiles.

The teachers subjected pupils to a barrage of verbal abuse, using derogatory terms and slurs. They also deliberately threw aerosol cans into bonfires, creating dangerous explosions, and encouraged pupils to participate. Ms. Simmons, the school’s safeguarding lead, was found to have lied about witnessing events and failed to fulfill her safeguarding responsibilities.