Minister intervenes to bar pupils in death threats row

Estelle Morris, the Secretary of State for Education, personally intervened yesterday to have two schoolboys who bombarded a teacher with death threats removed from their school.

The boys, both 15, had been allowed to return to Glyn Technology School in Epsom, Surrey, despite having been expelled by the headteacher and governors. Their parents had appealed against the decision and an independent appeals panel ruled the boys must be allowed back.

Ms Morris was said to be furious at the decision and ordered officials in her department to put pressure on Surrey education authority to find alternative provision for the boys.

Ms Morris said last night: "These boys will not be in Glyn School tomorrow. Their parents will be meeting the local authority to discuss alternative education for their children.

"It is important that the school returns to normality and that these pupils get a full-time education."

The boys are now likely to be transferred to a pupil referral unit for disruptive students, known as a "sin bin", or be taught at home until alternative school places can be found.

All 70 teachers at the school earlier threatened to take industrial action unless the boys were kept out of their classes.

The boys had waged a six-week campaign against Steve Taverner, a PE teacher ,after he caught them throwing stones at windows. They left 44 menacing messages on his answer phone including one claiming Mr Taverner, 54, had days to live.

One said: "Hello Steve. You are going to die soon. You are going to get stabbed in the back of the head."

Another threat said: "I am going to find you and kill you." The boys were caught after the police traced their final call which said: "You have five days to live."

The teenagers were expelled from the specialist technology college in June after police gave their names to Stuart Turner, the headteacher.

But the boys' parents appealed to the local education authority and Mr Turner's decision, which was backed by his governors, was overturned.

The pair returned to school this week and are being taught separately by a supply teacher after permanent staff refused to teach them.

Mr Taverner, who has taught at the school for 10 years, is on sick leave suffering from stress.

All three main teaching unions balloted their members at the school on proposals to continue barring the boys from their classes.

Gerald Imison, the deputy general secretary of Mr Taverner's union, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said: "This case has called into question the position of the independent appeals panel, which can come to a decision which is perverse and serves to undermine teachers in the school who are trying to instill in pupils proper codes of social behaviour."

The question of who has the ultimate power to expel pupils has attracted controversy in the past. In 2000 the Government was forced to issue new guidance to appeals panels after headteachers complained they were returning violent and disruptive pupils to classes.

Ms Morris's intervention came just a week after she told the Labour Party conference that a tough stance was needed in dealing with unruly pupils. She said: "Teachers cannot teach if children are disruptive. One child threatening or abusing one teacher in a school is one too many."