Teachers defy order on excluded pupil

Teachers have voted to refuse to teach a 15-year-old boy who was
expelled from school, despite an independent appeal panel ordering
them to take him back.

The Nasuwt members, who work at Hurst Community College in
Hampshire, argue that the pupil is unpredictable and they are
concerned about their safety.

The boy, who has an attention deficit disorder, was permanently
excluded before Christmas. He admitted hitting a teaching assistant
on the bottom with a ruler but denied threatening her with a
sharpened file, insisting it was a joke.