Jury told of attack by teacher on pupil

The BBC reports on a criminal trial in Nottingham Crown Court. The jury was told  that a science teacher beat a pupil around the head with a dumbbell in front of other pupils. 

The teacher denies the charges of attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm with intent. The injured schoolboy suffered a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain.

Assaults by teachers on pupils are thankfully rare. Nowadays the use of corporal punishment is forbidden in schools, although teachers can use reasonable force in certain circumstances to restrain a pupil. The criminal law is not the only sanction available to an injured pupil, they could launch a civil action against the teacher and possibly also the school, using the doctrine of vicarious liability. See X and Y v Wandsworth.