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Whether you're a permanent teacher, supply teacher or student teacher, you'll find others in the same situation on our Staffroom forum.

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Whether you're a permanent teacher, supply teacher or student teacher, you'll find others in the same situation on our Staffroom forum.

The staffroom

How often have you been assaulted?

47 replies

uhhuhh · 18/12/2017 17:58

Had a truly awful day today & I'd like to know how often (if ever!) you are assaulted at work- primary teachers especially. Today I was twice, happened twice previously in this school in recent months. How normal is this?

OP posts:

Report

werewolfhowls · 18/12/2017 19:08

Secondary here. Had a few balls kicked in my direction a few times on duty but otherwise never. Work in a very average school. I would not stay in a job I didn't feel safe in. Are you okay?

BitchyInnerMonologue · 18/12/2017 19:10

Depends.

Deliberate, malice-aforethought assault? Never.

Autistic child having a meltdown which I get involved in handling; rarely (admin side) but it does happen.
Balls kicked in the direction where I'm standing? Occasionally.

Hope you're okay

ChinchillaFur · 18/12/2017 19:15

Hope you are ok OP?
I have been sworn at plenty, and also got knocked/barged out of the way once or twice. Never actually been deliberately assaulted though. It has happened very occasionally at my pretty average school and thankfully has always lead to fixed term exclusion.

I have always stated that I would phone the police for a deliberate assault. Not sure if I would in reality though!

uhhuhh · 18/12/2017 20:15

I'm ok. Been quite upset since it happened. Cried all the way home Just feels like banging my head against a brick wall- I work so hard. Today it was child with ongoing issues (not ASD or anything diagnosable, but difficult background & history of disruptive behaviour) lashing out. Not premeditated but deliberate.

OP posts:

WellAlwaysHaveParis · 20/12/2017 01:36

So sorry to hear this OP :( how are you feeling today?

Areallthenamestaken · 20/12/2017 15:10

Never in a mainstream school. If this has happened more than once your school should be supporting you, especially if the child has known issues. So sorry you’re going through this.

PugwallsSummer · 20/12/2017 15:47

It was a regular occurrence for me. Worst one was a full-on kick in the stomach when I was 11 weeks pregnant (no harm done to baby thankfully). The child that did it would assault staff, children & damage property on a daily basis. I was one of a few members of staff trained in positive handling so I came across him (and several others) frequently and received countless minor injuries in the process of keeping him and other children safe. A colleague received a black eye from the same child and he scraped the paintwork of another's car (there were so many incidents I can't even remember most of them). He was being investigated for ASD so the school could not exclude until every avenue of support had been exhausted - this process lasted up until he joined Y5 . He was eventually discharged with no diagnosis and was permanently excluded not long after. He now attends a specialist unit for children with behavioral difficulties and is doing very well by all accounts, which is great.

The system is broken for children like him who simply can't cope in the mainstream setting. Inclusion comes at a heavy cost in some cases (although to say as much would be career suicide 🙄).

uhhuhh · 20/12/2017 18:32

I'm still feeling really bad. SMT have not been very supportive. I don't know what I should be expecting from them really, but they've done nothing. I agree with you Pugwalls there's another side to inclusion.

OP posts:

ASauvignonADay · 20/12/2017 19:11

I'm secondary pastoral and have been assaulted a few times. Baring in mind we intervene at crisis point/intervene in any fighting etc. So more likely than a classroom teacher and we are team teach trainee. SLT are very supportive.

Littlelambpeep · 20/12/2017 19:17

Hit most days but not in mainstream. Marked quite badly
Hope you're OK

Fffion · 20/12/2017 21:04

Never

werewolfhowls · 20/12/2017 23:06

Im sure you wouldn't feel so bad had your management been more supportive. I would like to think if s child assaulted me in a deliberate fashion I would involve police, but I don't know. Did you get a day off today? Are you nearly finished for Christmas?

Runningissimple · 20/12/2017 23:07

Never

Greenshoots1 · 20/12/2017 23:11

around 10 times in 20 years. Most recently yesterday.

junebirthdaygirl · 20/12/2017 23:19

Never 8n 36 years and l'm really sorry it happened to you. Think there should be a lot of support for this and never ever think its any of your fault.

lorisparkle · 20/12/2017 23:27

I work in a special school so whilst I am frequently hurt by pupils (at least once a day) it is not an action they have control of in the same way. We have positive support plans in place for the pupil and a support network for the staff. In mainstream there is something going badly wrong and there needs to be a plan put in place to support you and to look at what is going to be put in place to prevent it happening again. Have you got a union rep?

cricketballs3 · 21/12/2017 06:02

I've been a mainstream secondary teacher for 14 years - been assaulted twice (both times this year), first one I was shocked but ok, a lot of really tough kids witnessed it and were also really shocked and disgusted.

2nd time yesterday- this one has left a nasty bruise and I did burst into tears when the HT came to check up on me

hesterton · 21/12/2017 06:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

NovemberWitch · 21/12/2017 06:44

Primary, been assaulted a few times over the years, but I think of damage done by an overloaded child with additional needs as a separate category. The others were twice when I was breaking up fights, once when a parent slapped me and once when I was dragged across a table by a parent just out of nick. Oh, and once by a 5 year old who punched me in the face. All incidents in the 80s and early 90s.

IHaveACuntingPlan · 21/12/2017 07:26

I'm a supply teacher working in primary schools. I've had a chair thrown towards me once and been stabbed in the hand by a sharp pencil. It broke my skin and I had to go for a tetanus jab. All I was trying to do was explain a maths problem to him.

MongerTruffle · 21/12/2017 19:42

One of my colleagues was pushed down the stairs when she was pregnant. This was in a mainstream, outstanding school.

oldfatandstressed · 21/12/2017 20:43

Fairly regularly. Primary head here, so always there at crisis point. Been punched, hit, kicked, bitten. Had my nose broken, finger dislocated ( by 6 year old). Decent school in a decent area. Some SEN kids, some with issues. Been threatened loads. Seems to be a growing thing. Didn't happen ten years ago and has been increasing annually. I hope you're okay.

BoldMcCoo · 21/12/2017 22:42

Well this is terrifying!

GreenTulips · 22/12/2017 00:59

Loads

Management should

Have a meeting after each incident to review the forms detailimg the incident
Look at the risk assessment - was it followed? What was the triggers? Knownnor inknown?
What did you do right? What could you do next time?
Does the plan need changing?
What support is there in place, and what more could be offered?

Finally - are you ok? Do you need time out?

ASauvignonADay · 22/12/2017 09:32

Just saw this and thought of your thread!

www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-news/primary-support-staff-bear-brunt-pupil-violence

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