Teacher at £44k-a-year school banned after telling pupil ‘I would really like to punch your face in’ – then punching wall

A physics teacher at a £44,000-per-year private school near Bath has been banned from the profession indefinitely after threatening pupils and punching a wall next to a student’s head.

David Hicks, 66, was accused of grabbing and threatening two pupils at the independent Downside School in Stratton-on-the-Fosse, Somerset, during a science lesson last February.

It was alleged he grabbed one student by their jacket, pushed them against a wall and said “I am the alpha male”, “I would really like to punch your face in” and “once I start hitting you, I won’t stop”, before punching a wall next to their head. Mr Hicks denied grabbing the student by the jacket.

He was also accused of grabbing a second student by the shoulders and saying words to the effect of “what would happen if I hit you?” and “If I hit you, I would go to jail for two years. If I beat you, I would go to jail for three years. Which one do you think I would prefer?”, before punching a wall.

A professional conduct panel found all allegations proven, and Mr Hicks was subsequently prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England.

He may apply for the prohibition order to be set aside from 2034 at the earliest and has the right of appeal.

The panel noted in its judgement that Mr Hicks “had shown some remorse” and showed some “limited” insight into his actions. They said he described himself as someone who does not “tolerate heat very well”, which they took to mean he was someone with a “short fuse” who could behave in an irrational or erratic manner in a stressful situation.

Mr Hicks was said to have told one of the students that one day he would snap and that nobody would be able to stop him doing something to the student. He was alleged to have said that if he snapped, the student ought to hope a there was an adult nearby who could drag him off them.

The teacher admitted that his conduct, as admitted, constituted unacceptable professional conduct.

Evidence was based on oral evidence from a witness at the school, who had logged a complaint in the school’s safeguarding system, Mr Concern, on 5 February 2025. Mr Hicks did not dispute that the incident took place on that date, the panel noted.

Prior to a hearing, Mr Hicks denied grabbing the first pupil by their jacket. The panel found that he was likely angry at the time and may not have been acting in a rational manner, and concluded that he was more likely than not to have behaved in the manner alleged.

The Downside School is a co-ed Catholic school for pupils aged 11-18, established by Benedictine monks in 1614. As an independent school, it is not inspected by Ofsted. The school was awarded "Outstanding" across all sections in its April 2024 Catholic Schools Inspectorate inspection.