A SCIENCE teacher has admitted making plans to abandon his family life and join ISIS in Syria.

Jamshed Javeed, who taught at Sharples High School, was on the verge of going to the war-torn country before he was arrested by police in December.

His pregnant wife and parents desperately tried to stop him — even hiding his passport to stop him leaving the UK – but he was "determined" to fight for the extremist group, police say.

Father-of-two Javeed, aged 30, pleaded guilty to preparing himself and others for terrorist acts at Woolwich Crown Court this morning.

Police say Javeed, of Cringle Road, Levenshulme, Manchester, was part of a wider network of people, predominantly local, who wanted to go to Syria and fight with ISIS, also known as Islamic State or ISIL.

Javeed paid £1,400 to his brother Mohammed's bank account and accepted that £1,100 of that cash would be used to fund the travel of his brother and a friend to Syria.

Police say he supported the travel of four associates to Syria between September and November last year.

Javeed's basis of plea stated that he "has never supported, and does not support, the aims of Isis as now revealed and understood".

It also stated that he does not support suicide bombings, forcing non-Muslims to convert to Islam, or the execution of hostages, such as Bolton convoy aid volunteer Alan Henning, who was beheaded earlier this month.

He wanted to join rebel factions fighting the "vicious" regime of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, the court heard.

Javeed would not travel to Syria now, does not have an "extremist" mindset, and even planned his resume his teaching career on returning to the UK, the court was told.

Rachel Quesnel, headteacher of Sharples School, said Javeed’s arrest had come as a “huge shock” to the school.

Police have found no evidence he tried to radicalise any pupils.

He had initially denied the two charges and was due to stand trial this week, but instead opted to change his pleas.

Both charges carry a maximum tariff of life imprisonment.

In August, 2013, a family member started to notice that his appearance and behaviour had started to change and that he was beginning to hold more radical views.

Between September and November last year, four associates travelled to Syria for terrorism-related purposes, supported by Javeed, before he planned to travel to the country himself.

He bought equipment for himself and for ISIS fighters to use once he arrived in Syria.

In December 2013 his family grew suspicious of his behaviour and confronted him, pleading with him not to go.

They had hidden his passport and some of the equipment he had bought, prompting him to apply for a new passport from the Home Office and replenish his stock. He had also booked a flight for Turkey.

He told them he was committed to going. Two days later, December 21, Javeed was arrested by North West Counter Terrorism officers at his home, and they found his new stock of equipment in the boot of his car.

Police said that anybody who goes to fight with ISIS could be a “serious danger” to their communities if they return.

Javeed, of Cringle Road, Levenshulme, also spent part of his upbringing in Bolton.

He was suspended by Sharples when he was arrested in January, after police had launched an investigation into him and his associates in October, 2013.

Sharples headteacher Mrs Quesnel said: "It came as a huge shock to be informed by the police that they had arrested a member of staff.

"We acted on the advice of the local authority and the police and suspended the individual.

"This was a neutral act pending a police investigation, and in line with the council's HR procedures.

“There was no evidence whatsoever to link any criminal activity to our school or the wider community and no evidence to suggest that any pupils, staff or the wider community were under any kind of threat.

“We would like to reassure all our stakeholders that this was an isolated incident, involving one individual, and is in no way a reflection on Sharples School.”

Det Chf Supt Tony Mole, head of the North West’s counter-terrorism unit, said: “What we have seen here is very interesting because somebody who has led a normal, quiet family life, a school teacher, has now pleaded guilty to two serious offences involving the preparation of himself and others for terrorist offences.

“It appears that he has got together with a group who have been determined to go out to Syria and fight.

“Despite efforts from his family who were clearly determined to stop him travelling to Syria, he was determined to go.”

Det Chf Supt Mole added: “My key point is that the earlier we can intervene the better.

“We have got trained people. It is about communities being aware of people that might be showing signs of going out to meet terrorists.

“Anybody who goes out to fight with ISIS could potentially be a serious danger to communities if they return.

“You only have to watch the news to see what this group is about. Would you recommend anybody to go out there and fight with them?

“By that time they have been trained and had experience and built up friendships and fully engaged with that terrorist rhetoric.

“We take a robust approach to people who wish to engage with these organisations.”

Neighbours said Javeed’s family have lived in Cringle Road for many years.

One woman, who asked not to be named, said: “They seemed like a very nice, normal family.

“With him being a teacher, you just do not expect it. He is not what you think of as a terrorist at all.

“It’s difficult to understand how he was able to fund something like that and pay for others to go?

“It seems you can’t reason with people when they develop these beliefs.”

Javeed will return to Woolwich Crown Court to be sentenced on December 12.