I think you have touched upon something quite profound in this - the inter-dependent relationships between the ‘golden children’ and the staff of the school. I’m pretty sure there is a dark undercurrent of mutual sexual self-regard and excitement going on there. The staff seem to enjoy the spectacle of the popular, successful children bullying the outsiders, the gender non-conforming, the neurodivergent and other outsiders.

The basis of mutual attraction between the teachers and the bullies is a subject area that is potentially explosive and actually, cuts to the very core of our rotten, vicious, nasty society.