You've half hit the nail on the head mrsmac. Last year at a birthday party I noticed this happening (bloody lord of the flies) and all of a sudden it hit me that this is very likely going to happen at school. One of the other mums mentioned one of the instigators has an older brother so he is pretty arrogant because of this. Some kids do notice a 'weakness' and will push buttons at every opportunity to watch the fireworks.

So I changed schools very late in the year to this tiny little one (80 students) with a philosophy that can't be beat.

the incidents do happen at lunchtimes - the kids are allowed in the classrooms to play, they wander in and out. It always happens if someone dares go near anything Mitch might decide he wants to play with. Today he put a block down and another child picked it up - whammo in the face for poor little Ben.

We took Ben to sick bay and sat them both down and Ben had the chance to explain what happened and Mitch too. Clearly poor Ben didn't know Mitch wasn't finished with the block...it gave Mitch some understanding that it isn't a worldwide block conspiracy and also that Ben doesn't want to play with him in case he gets hurt again.

Hair trigger temper and has problems regulating his emotions. If someone isn't there at all times to put out potential fires and this is the result