Six-year hell of teacher beaten up by a pupil: Teachers face more than physical threats in the classroom. John Arlidge reports

TEACHING was Paul Hutchings's life, and it almost cost him everything. It destroyed his health and, for six years, threatened his family.

In the summer of 1987, Mr Hutchings, then head of rural science at Oldborough Manor School in Maidstone, Kent, was attacked by a 12-year-old boy and his father. His foot was crushed and his spine chipped. He suffered severe depression and has not worked since; he still suffers constant dull, aching pain.

Like the 27-year-old French language teacher who was allegedly raped by a 13-year-old boy last week at a south London school, Mr Hutchings's experience is an extreme case. But according to the NAS/UWT teachers' union, as many as 3,000 teachers experience some form of physical aggression every week.

Mr Hutchings, 56, still has nightmares about the attack. 'I was sitting drinking coffee in the staff room when this man burst in shouting, 'Where's that f---ing maths teacher?' and went for a colleague,' he said. 'I got up and stood in his way and he started punching me in the face and chest, stamping on my foot and kicking me. I forced him out of the room and into the corridor. Then I felt a huge blow at the bottom of my spine. I looked round to see that his son, Jamie, a pupil, had hit me in the back.'

Without checking, the father had accepted his son's story that a maths teacher had manhandled him in class.

As a result of his injuries Mr Hutchings was declared unfit for work, pronounced disabled and given a lump sum from Kent education authority plus pension and benefits. He cannot sit in a chair for more than half an hour, and wakes up five times a night.

Abandoned by colleagues after the assault, he became distraught. He said: 'I was devastated. I loved my job. It was my life and I was looking forward to another 15 years. I hadn't had a day off sick since 1972 when I joined the school.

'After the attack, I could not imagine the future. I had little support from my fellow teachers, who seemed to want to pretend that the whole thing had not happened. That was the most hurtful part. Headmasters, governors and officials should show more concern.' He was diagnosed as suffering from depression. 'I went into decline. I was a bastard, a real sod, taking out my frustrations on my family. Good old dependable Dad disappeared.'

His wife Janet, 51, recalls: 'He changed character from being an easygoing, super chap to someone I would not have invited in for coffee. He would shout at me and our son and daughter. He was not physically affectionate, he did not wash or change his clothes and he would sit and cry. We stopped going out. Two years ago we only went out together five times and three of those were to funerals. I considered leaving him but decided to tough it out. I said, 'I am not going to let some yobbo destroy my life.' '

With the help of his union, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, Mr Hutchings sued his assailants, James Kelly and his son Jamie. He was awarded pounds 116,000 damages but, he says, he has not received a penny from Mr Kelly, who cannot afford to pay. 'I won't see anything unless he wins the football pools or something.'

Today, however, he says he can look to the future for the first time since the attack. 'The past is past and we've got the rest of our lives to look forward. I am studying wood-carving, furniture restoration, and upholstery. I can still go clay pigeon shooting and swim. I know the pain will be with me for the rest of my life and get progressively worse, but I will continue to do what I can. I feel happy with my lot.'

For Janet, who last year tore up her diaries from 1987 to 1992 because they were 'too depressing', his new-found hope marks the end of six years in which she 'abandoned' her life. 'I can hardly believe what he has been saying,' she said. 'There have been lots of little ups but then so many downs. Before, I felt he was putting on a show for other people. This time I think he means it. Now, I hope, we can begin again.'

(Photograph omitted)