Some 30 secondary school pupils in Naaldwijk witnessed their teacher being assaulted by a man thought to be her partner last week as she was conducting an online class, the Telegraaf reported.

The paper based its story on sources around the school and a letter in its possession. The incident, which was recorded and shared on Whatsapp among groups of students, took place on Thursday afternoon when pupils at the ISW Hoogeland school in Naaldwijk were having a lesson via a Team video link.

The man, thought to be the woman’s partner, has been arrested.

School director Han Versloot immediately informed parents via a letter saying that an incident of domestic violence had taken place during an online class which ‘has shocked the teacher involved but also the children who witnessed it,’ the paper said.

The school confirmed the contents of the letter to the paper, saying that the teacher in question was doing well under the circumstances. ‘The children involved were not very young and police are handling the aftercare,’ a spokeswoman told the paper.

Some parents were less sanguine about the effect on students, with one mother telling the paper that the event was ‘dramatic for children who had to look on and could do nothing.

‘Collective trauma processing is not possible now despite offers of talks with the teacher involved and others,’ she said.

Police in Naaldwijk are not commenting on the case because of privacy reasons. They have asked parents and students to remove the images from their computers.