1 in 5 teachers hit by a pupil

My colleague (25 years teaching experience) was hit over the head by a 9 year old boy who didn't like the book they were reading. This was just over 12 months ago.

She has an Acquired Brain Injury affecting her movement, memory and speech. She requires daily care. She can never work or live independently again. Her two young children (now aged 8 and 10) have become her carers. She no longer works, reads, goes on holiday, goes out with her friends to the pub, attends her kid's' school events..

The child still attends the same school because it was decided that his needs were not being met if he were to move to another school.

No one wants to teach him so recruitment is even more difficult.

Some of the parents deflect - their child couldn’t possibly have done this (trashed classroom along with violent towards staff) without something/someone provoking them and what are we doing about it. Despite them being asked to go to the classroom and collect their child and seeing chairs/items all over the floor. They step over the chairs.

Some of them just don’t care. Pick them up when they have been excluded and take them to McDonald’s/somewhere for a treat.

Some don’t care in the other sense that they won’t answer the phone to even collect the child because they’ve been on a bender/getting their hits and children’s services are then involved - who are equally as stretched and have told us previously we cannot exclude a child at the time as they weren’t sure if their home was safe and wouldn’t be able to check in time.

It’s a minefield and so many factors to consider and I know it’s not just my school - which isn’t a ‘bad’ school by any stretch! Unsure what the answer is for schools - at the moment I can only see the education system crumbling and I’m in Wales so don’t have the other pressures of the English curriculum either!

What happens when the parents are called into the school to discuss?

Agree with previous posters about behaviour getting worse and worse. This Spring Term has undoubtedly been the most challenging term I have had as a Primary School teacher.

In the last 6 weeks I’ve been spat at, had items thrown at me leaving bruising, been slapped across the face, kicked, punched and on Friday I was kicked in the face causing a split lip. All of this by primary school children under 8.

The pressure schools are under at the moment is unsustainable and teachers are leaving in droves.

We know many of the children have had traumatic experiences and lives , are in an unfit education system for their needs/ but it doesn't make the violence ok nor should it be the abuse is tolerated or accepted! A mainstream classroom / school as they are, (30 children, no support, curriculum not age appropriate, no creativity etc )isn't right for a lot of children!
This. We shouldn't be teaching children that there's ok excuses for people being assaulted.

@OldChinaJug Why should I or others accept low pay to work with the most disadvantaged children who regularly attack you?
Teachers complain about their low pay and compare it to Drs and solicitors. TAs do not even get paid as much as supermarket workers.

@OldChinaJug
They leave, which many staff are doing and get paid the same if not more at a supermarket without the abuse or violence!

Let's not also forget that many of the TAs who are working with the children especially in primary school are women!

I'm just over 5 foot and had a 9yo kick out and punch me he was nearly as tall as me and of big build, I couldn't control the situation or manoeuvre to a safe place.

We know many of the children have had traumatic experiences and lives , are in an unfit education system for their needs/ but it doesn't make the violence ok nor should it be the abuse is tolerated or accepted! A mainstream classroom / school as they are, (30 children, no support, curriculum not age appropriate, no creativity etc )isn't right for a lot of children!

On the point of exclusion.

We don't exclude some of our children for violent behaviour because we know it is caused by parenting and we know the environment we are sending the children into if we do.

What would you do then?

@titbumwillypoo I understand what you are saying. But I would never put up with being hit as part of work whatever the reason.

I got pulled off other duties to be a 1-1 for a violent lad. Over the course of 5/6 months I was hit, kicked, bit, stabbed with pencils and tried to with scissors. Spat on, sworn at and had books and chairs thrown at me. When he wasn't doing those things he was a nice lad whose mum was a crack addict and was shacking up with her dealer, he got his 2 sisters fed and ready for school and was angry at the world for the shit hand he'd been dealt. He was 8. For those of you that say kick 'em out, call the police, get another job, these are children we're talking about and if we don't stick up for them who the fuck will?

Could she use loop earplugs or similar?

To be clear, I was recognising it as a contributing factor - not the only factor. I am sure there is a multitude of other reasons and have read with interest on this thread.

A TA friend of mine is a 1-1 with a child with SEN and he hits her numerous times a day. He also screams blue murder from very close range, and she is concerned that it is damaging her hearing.

A child like this would be managed out at our school, send or not. it's a private school though. Shocking what I've read here. Poor teachers, having to deal with violent children. No wonder so many are leaving.

I am a supply teacher and have been for over 20 years. I have had one chair thrown at me, one boy pushed me and a girl bit me twice. Different schools but all within the last 3 years.

I grew up in a very rough area and went to a very rough school. Unlike some on here teachers were occasionally hit, but it was extremely rare and everyone in the school knew about it. It also almost always led to an automatic exclusion from school.

You've misread my words. I was apologising to you because I had not gotten the impression from your posts that you were blaming parents. It was from others.

So pregnant women deserve a kicking from a 6ft teenager because you had a shitty teacher?

Nice.

I have had a 17 year old with zero background information get in my face shouting obscenities then when a team member happened to pass and get in front of me went and threw a desk and chair. No action taken and I had to walk back in the next week and “teach” the other students who witnessed my vulnerability as if nothing had happened. I am forever grateful to my colleague as I was seconds away from being put on the floor. No support staff.

Teachers should go off sick if they are struck at school. Having to teach the child who struck them is abhorrent.

I am sure that part of the reason that there are a growing number of school refusers and teachers leaving the profession is because of the rise in bad behaviour, violence and aggression seen in schools. Teachers and students just don’t want to spend time in that environment. It makes me so angry because even low level disruptive behaviour wastes hours of lesson time and harms the education of so many children. On here you get frequent complaints that school punishments are unfair even when it is obvious that their child is a total menace. Then there is loads of analysis on how the school should have handled it differently because of blah blah blah, but very little reflection on the child’s behaviour which will get them sacked as soon as they walk in (probably late) to any work place.

We do absolutely everything we can to stop our child's behaviour.
I've had to give up working and life as we knew it.
We back the teachers 100% and will always put the safety of everyone high in our approach.
His paediatrician would love to have a full time psychologist to support children and families but unfortunately there is no funding for this.
Many children who present in the way my son does end up in jail or worse.
We are petrified for him and have been begging for help, took 2 years to see the paediatrician again.
We are on our knees along with a lot of parents and schools.
So while I do get there are parents who just can not be bothered there is just as many who are supportive of the staff in school and are working with a system which is quite clearly failing everyone.