A TEACHER has been sacked after he did nothing while a child was beaten up in his classroom by a gang of pupils.
Science teacher Daniel Murphy stood by for two minutes before other staff members intervened during the brawl at Kirkby High School in Liverpool.
The student was “taken to the floor” by another pupil before being kicked by a number of other children during the lesson in November 2019.
Now Mr Murphy has been sacked after a professional conduct panel ruled that he “failed to safeguard” his students, reports The Liverpool Echo.
Inexperienced Mr Murphy, who did not hold “Qualified Teacher Status”, claimed that he “froze” and did not know what to do in the situation.
The fight was only broken up when staff members who were passing through stepped in and helped.
The panel accepted that his lack of action was not deliberate.
The report said: “The panel was made aware of, and accepted, that a serious incident involving another pupil making threats to him with a broken glass and fire extinguisher in the month or so prior to the incident with Pupil A was likely to have a made an impact on his decision making ability.”
At the hearing, Mr Murphy said he was “deeply ashamed” and that he had been “out of his depth”.
The panel observed: “Whilst the panel recognised this appeared to be an isolated incident, it considered Mr Murphy’s disregard for safeguarding Pupil A whilst being assaulted initially by one pupil and then by a number of other pupils as a fundamental failing on his part.
“The panel also considered that Mr Murphy had spent a significant amount of time and effort reflecting on this incident and what he would do differently should he find himself in similar circumstances.”
At the hearing, it was decided that he would not be given a prohibition order – which would have banned him from teaching in schools.
A spokesperson for Kirkby High School and The Rowan Learning Trust said: “We are pleased that the outcome of the Professional Conduct Panel supports the decision of the school and trust disciplinary process.
“Kirkby High School and The Rowan Learning Trust take our safeguarding responsibilities seriously. All members of staff receive regular safeguarding and behaviour management training. Staff and students are fully supported by clear policies and practices.”
