Headteacher who threw eggs and stones at pupils and said student was ‘as wide as a fridge’ banned
The headteacher of a school for vulnerable children has been suspended after throwing eggs at pupils and describing one of them as “wide as a fridge”.
A professional conduct hearing in January found that the actions of Adam Webb, headteacher at Build A Future Independent School (BAF) in Boston, Lincolnshire, amounted to conduct that could bring the profession into disrepute, including throwing rocks and eggs at or near pupils and using derogatory, sexualised, abusive and ableist language towards pupils.
Between September 2020 and January 2021, he referred to a student as “wide as a refrigerator” and “wide as a bus” and said he told at least one student he had sex with their mother.
It was also revealed that he had deleted a video of eggs being thrown at him, only to be disappointed by a co-worker who was a cherry picker.
Mr Webb also told staff “what happens at BAF stays at BAF”, suggesting an intention to conceal inappropriate behaviour, the panel heard.
The board concluded that Mr Webb had failed to protect pupils during his time as headteacher and ruled that any substantiated allegations amounted to serious misconduct.
Adjudicator Marc Cavey’s report states: “The panel did not consider any of Mr Webb’s actions to be trivial, negligible or a temporary error.
“Taken individually, each of these amounted to serious misconduct and collectively they represented a profound and sustained departure from the standards expected of a school head.”
The board found that Mr. Webb’s use of derogatory, sarcastic and degrading language, including comments about students’ bodies, disability-related slurs and sexually explicit remarks, constituted a clear failure to protect students.
The report said Mr Webb did not provide any supporting evidence to show exceptionally high standards or any evidence that he had made a significant contribution to the wider education sector.
Panelists found that there was some evidence of support provided to students, but concluded that it did not meet the threshold of being exceptional; it reflected the expected aspects of his role.
“Mr. Webb failed not only the students but also the staff,” the report stated.
He was banned from teaching indefinitely. He/she is not allowed to apply for restoration of teaching ability.
The report states: “The panel found that the misconduct was not an isolated error but constituted a pattern of behavior that continued over several months.
“This includes repeated incidents of encouraging play fights, throwing rocks and eggs at or near pupils, unsafe bonfire activities, the use of derogatory and offensive language towards vulnerable children and inappropriate interactions with staff.
“Taken together, these issues reveal a clear pattern of behavior rather than occasional poor judgment.”
Fellow teachers Alison Simmons and Thomas Hayward have also been banned from entering the classroom indefinitely, but Mr Hayward will be able to re-apply to teach.
