Luton teacher permanently disabled after 'furious' attack by girl pupil, court told

Senior teacher Gillian Stephens was working at Putteridge High School on Friday, June 17, 2016, when she was attacked by the teenage girl - who rained down blows on her head using a mobile phone.

Since then, Mrs Stephens has been left severely disabled and unable to work.

Luton Crown Court heard today (Thursday) that at the time of the attack, Putteridge High School had no risk assessments to protect staff from violent pupils.

The school's board of governors had opted against a violence and aggression safety policy, despite workplace guidance from the Department for Education in 2014.

As the local authority running the school in 2016, Luton Borough Council pleaded guilty to one count in breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

The case was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive.

Pascal Bates, prosecuting, told the court that the attacker was a girl who had developed behavioural problems in 2015.

He said: "She was violent at home and disruptive at school on many occasions.

"She had been referred to the adolescent mental health team but refused to engage with the process.

"As 2016 progressed, her behaviour became worse, especially in art, which was one of her GCSE subjects.

"This was causing serious concerns to a number of staff."

On Thursday, June 16, 2016, she disrupted her art class and was sent to the 'Steps' isolation room, where she refused to work or give up her mobile phone.

The following day, the girl was marked for another day of isolation. However, she ignored this and went into her ordinary class.

The teacher called for assistance and Gillian Stephens was called upon as a safeguarding lead.

Mr Bates said: "Mrs Stephens went into the classroom and arranged to get the other pupils out.

"As the last pupil was leaving, this left Gillian Stephens, the other teacher and the girl alone.

"The girl, perhaps perceiving Gillian Stephens as the source of her problems, unleashed a furious assault using her mobile phone as a weapon.

"She rained down a number of blows on her head."

The court was told Mrs Stephens has been left seriously disabled, with permanent brain injury and "significantly traumatised".

Mr Bates added: "Although she was not at retirement age, she has not been able to work since.

"The girl's behaviour was wholly wrong. It was an assault."

The attacker was later prosecuted at Luton Magistrates' Court.

Because central government dictates local authority schools should be run by headteachers and governors, the council had initially pleaded "not guilty" based on having few powers of intervention over the school.

However, it changed its plea on the second day of trial. As a jury had already been sworn in, the "guilty" verdict was pronounced by the jury foreman.

The court was told that in 2010, a behaviour management system called 'Steps' was introduced at Putteridge High School, in which pupils who misbehaved could be put in a Steps isolation room.

Mr Bates said: "Originally the Steps rooms were well-staffed with five teaching assistants. This was down to two by 2016, and the illness of one of those meant that by autumn 2016, there was just one teaching assistant in the Steps room."

A new headteacher was appointed at Putteridge High School in 2015, who decided to introduce a new behaviour policy.

"The later system did say that if there was violence against a member of staff, it could result in exclusion," said Mr Bates. "But of course that is shutting the door after the horse has bolted.

"What it didn't do, was study how the school could avoid getting to that stage in the first place."

By 2016, none of Putteridge High School's staff had received recent health and safety training - some as far back as 2009 - and none which addressed the potential risk from aggressive pupils. Mrs Stephens had asked the school for further training, but none was given.

A number of disturbing incidents also occurred in the 2015/16 academic year before the attack, including:

> Pupils slamming a door against a teacher.

> A male pupil on ritalin [used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, ADHD] who became violent and aggressive "to the point of throwing chairs and spitting".

> In September 2015, a male pupil who was "generally abusive to staff" was found to have a stolen bicycle. That led to the boy being excluded, but he refused to leave. His parent attended and "kicked off" and a number of staff became involved.

> A boy with ADHD was repeatedly violent and aggressive from the start of September 2015. He had two tantrums, with seven members of staff involved in restraining him.

> A boy with schizophrenia who said he heard voices including ones telling him to make knife attacks on the school, a mosque and another school.

> Another suspected schizophrenic who became involved in violent gang crime.

> A boy aged 14 who turned up drunk and threw a missile at the head teacher.

> A couple of boys in 2016 who made death threats to a teacher.

Mr Bates said: "Some of these children and the adults associated with them were plainly very difficult people to deal with. But we do say it was foreseeable that sooner or later, the teaching body at the school was going to come across a difficult customer."

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) launched an investigation in September 2016 after learning about the attack on Mrs Stephens and visited the school the following month. The HSE found "a great deal of paperwork" in relation to safeguarding but none which addressed the risk to staff from violent or aggressive pupils.

Putteridge High School has since joined the Chiltern Learning Trust in March 2017 and converted to an academy.

Mark Balysz, defending, said: "Luton Borough Council deeply regrets the fact that an assault occurred on one of its teachers in Putteridge High School in 2016.

"This plea of guilty and the facts properly outlined should not be confused with the fact that Putteridge School was never anything but a good school and a well-run school.

"This failure is a historical breach of health and safety, it's certainly not reflective of the school in 2020."

Mr Balysz quoted excerpts from the school's positive Ofsted reports, highlighting that pupils felt safe and bullying was rare.

He then referenced the school's board of governors' decision not to impose a violence and aggression policy in 2016, which was not mandatory but recommended under the circumstances.

Mr Balysz said: "The council accepts they should have identified and checked upon that decision by the board of governors.

"What should also be noted is that this assault on Gillian Stephens was the only case of a teacher being assaulted in such a way by a pupil in the school.

"The pupil who assaulted this teacher was prosecuted herself for assault and was sentenced accordingly."

The council is due to be sentenced on Wednesday, October 15, at Luton Crown Court.

Civil proceedings have been stayed until the outcome of the case.