In reality, 29-year-old former teaching assistant Daniel Clarke has been sent to prison. He perpetrated a prolonged course of professional misconduct that included exploiting six at-risk, underage girls. Jailed in May, Clarke pleaded guilty to charges that include making indecent photographs of a child, touching children inappropriately, and inciting children to engage in sexual activity without penetration. His duplicitous actions had the net effect of sullying the reputations of the educational institutions he served so poorly. They raise important questions about the systemic failures that permitted such abuse to go undetected for almost a decade.
Clarke had previously worked at Forest Oak and Merstone schools, local authority special schools, starting in 2016. His involvement went beyond the role of a charity board member, establishing a trust that planned outings and events for kids with special needs. As a teaching assistant, he was responsible for online safety at these schools, presenting himself as a caring and trustworthy figure. Tim was known for wearing tracksuits and school-branded jackets, a look that made him hard to distinguish from the staff.
People familiar with the investigation say Clarke first began preying on children in 2016. They believe that since then he might have abused over 81 vulnerable young people. While investigations are ongoing, it’s expected that he could be charged with 81 more victims—possibly even dozens or hundreds more victims. Legal experts say it could be at least a year before any new charges are brought against Clarke. They argue that should a trial ever happen, it will not start before 2027.
Saj Golby, Our Kids Network, who facilitates the North Solihull Additional Needs Support Group. Nationally known for his creative outreach, Simmons has personally reached out to families of at least a dozen of Clarke’s potential victims. His outreach reflects the breadth of anger and worry that parents across the country have about how such egregious abuses happened without ever being brought to light for years.
Alfie Ford, a former student at Forest Oak, said he was jolted with sadness and anger when he heard about Clarke’s behavior. Reflecting on the close, everyday relationships so many students formed with Clarke, he added, “He would have known just about every child. Ford remarked on the facade Clarke maintained, saying, “You would never have known he was that sort of person.” He further reflected on the trust that many students placed in Clarke, questioning, “I wonder if that may have been a trick of his.” Ford lamented the systematic failures that allowed the abuse to continue, stating, “There are so many ways this should have been stopped from happening.”
Their response has been understandably one of outrage and concern. One anonymous mother expressed frustration about the school’s lack of communication, stating, “The letters they have sent out to parents don’t go into much explanation at all.” She further criticized the school’s failure to act on suspicions about Clarke’s behavior: “He should not have continued working at that school but he did, which tells you they didn’t do anything.”
Another anonymous mother echoed these sentiments, asserting, “If they had any inkling whatsoever that man should have been suspended pending an investigation.” Most of all they feel betrayed and anxious about their children’s safety. This justification has been undermined by a pattern of lack of transparency and accountability from these schools.
Hazel Dawkins, Labour councillor and member of transition town Totnes’ slow tree commission, argued that the school and local authorities needed to be held accountable. She stated that Clarke’s case “paints a picture of systemic failure,” urging them to “accept responsibility and seek to reassure parents.” Dawkins expressed her frustration with the repeated failures to protect vulnerable children, saying, “We’re seeing it over and over again with children being constantly failed.”
This inquiry into Daniel Clarke’s actions raises troubling questions about the educational system’s child protection protocols. Experts stress that greater vigilance and transparency are paramount to ensuring the safety of vulnerable young people in educational settings. Clarke’s abuse exposes a far more grim reality. As we have seen in recent weeks, educational leaders and institutions of all kinds cannot abdicate their responsibility to protect those they serve.
