The Government’s “city academies” programme is up and running, and here to stay. This initiative is ministers’ wheeze to improve run-down inner-city schools by making them independent of local education authorities and giving them large sums of money courtesy of a millionaire. However, they gave him a two-year conditional registration order requiring him to maintain good disciplinary standards in his personal and professional life.. “Mr Watkins took hold of [the boy] in what is described as a headlock, [the boy] stating that he found it hard to breathe. After that, he said: “Mr Watkins shouted at the boy using phrases such as ‘pick it up, you pathetic creature’ and ‘if you cannot pick it up I am going to shove it down your throat’.”Mr Ghirardello said witnesses then described how Mr Watkins assaulted the boy. who told him to dispose of it.”He added that Mr Watkins had seen the boy with the fish head at break later that morning, and had told him to put it in the bins.

Mr Watkins accepted there was physical contact when he held the boy’s hand.Mr Ghirardello said: “For some reason the boy came into possession on his way to school of a fish head .. He showed it to other pupils and to a teacher … I was a bit upset and sad.”The pupil, who cannot be named for legal reasons (nor can the school), admitted he was “not the best boy” but said of the incident: “I think it is completely out of order.” He said the assault had left no marks but he was “a bit sore for a little while”.Mr Ghirardello said Mr Watkins, who denies the assault, had given the police a different version of the interview, saying he had taken hold of the boy’s hand and bent the child towards the fish head, which was on the ground The boy then picked it up and put it in the bin. “I gritted my teeth and it [the fish head] went through my teeth into my mouth,” he added. “Afterwards he [Mr Watkins] said ‘you had better work hard now’.

Joe Ghirardello, for the prosecution, said six people ­ four children and two adults, including a teacher ­ would give evidence for the prosecution.In a video interview played to the court yesterday, the boy said: “He got me in a tight headlock I found it hard to breathe. The whole playground was there ­ like 250 children watching.” He said Mr Watkins had used words such as “animal” and “pathetic creature” to him during the incident. We look forward to working constructively with the Charity Commission as they develop their framework.”. A headteacher has appeared in court charged with assaulting an 11-year-old pupil by trying to force a fish head into his mouth. However, it is an extreme situation that would have very grave results for a school. If a school was separated from its assets it would effectively be closed down.”Although lots of schools are charities their situations differ enormously. Dick Davison, a spokesman for the Independent Schools Council, which represents 1,280 schools, said: “This would be a very extreme scenario and we have no evidence that any school would face this situation.