1 in 5 teachers hit by a pupil

I knew we'd only get to the bottom of the first page before we got to 'it's all these SEN children'. DC1 has SEN. They are perfectly behaved. They're the ones who are impacted by constant disruption and bullied.

On a side note, I'm in my 40s and behaviour at both my primary and secondary schools was appalling. It was a poor, rural area, what they used to call "low aspiration'. Loads of violence. Lots of drugs. Parents going 'up the school' and squaring up to teachers.

We would do well to look outside the schools because I very strongly believe the sharp rise in poverty over the last 10 years is the overwhelming determinant here, coupled with covid is the reason. The poverty in my childhood schools is now everywhere.

Yes and a lot are somewhere in the middle, acting out as a result of an environment that isn’t suited to them and total overwhelm, rather than shit parenting.

For what transgression? What is the lovely treat?

I’m not surprised children are struggling. There are also huge swathes of children with undiagnosed SEN and children who cannot get real help for mental health issues because CAHMS is a joke.

What do you expect when you give children the power and take away corporal punishment?

I never witnessed any teacher being hit in the 1970s when I was at school.

Sorry to derail OP. I’m well aware SEND isn’t the only factor - just one that stands out to me in primary aged children especially.

I also recognise a lack of respect for teachers from both parents and children.

It’s a topic I feel quite passionately about - we have so much more knowledge about child development and eduction than our generation did and yet we’re not making progress - it’s getting worse!

@EyeOfTheCat obviously not all children with ASD or ADHD can be in mainstream. But a lot have the capacity to understand what they're doing

I've been teaching primary for close to 20 years and luckily have never been hit or kicked or spat at or had any furniture thrown around. That would be my point to leave.
I left the UK a few years ago to teach abroad and started out in an independent school with very high levels of SEN. One of my boys was only allowed on school premises with his 1:1 TA. He threatened to punch me once but thought better of it. He was picked up by his parents a short while later (who he punched and kicked quite frequently) since part of his behaviour plan involved sending him home if he or his support worker couldn't cope that day.
My current school is selective. They usually filter out children who would be an issue but we do still have kids with SEN. Behaviour issues are rare but that's also because parents are very much on board. They want their children at our school. It isn't easy to move them to any of the other independent schools if they get excluded from ours. It's harder for them to be accepted at the local (state) grammar schools if we put a poor behaviour grade on their report, regardless of academic results.
Violence or threatening behaviour against staff (and that's any member of staff) results in immediate suspension. Violence against other pupils does as well. They need to meet with our head before they are allowed back in. Three occurances in a year lead to cancellation of contract and parents have to find a new school.
I wouldn't go back to teach in the UK. I'm a teacher, not a social worker or foster carer or nutritionist or punching bag.

My point exactly - the notion that one parent whose child copes well with ASD is judging another who isn’t coping is really quite sad!

My child has ASD, ADHD, a genetic condition, a brain abnormally, I could go on. But him having ASD is the beginning and end!

As someone whose child consistently demonstrated very poor behaviour at school, I worked with the teachers and school endlessly. Did everything they asked, cried myself to sleep about it more times than I could count. There were 5-6 other poorly behaved children in the class. I knew the parents well and knew they were also working consistently with the school.

My child wasn’t displaying any of this behaviour at home or in other settings (clubs, childcare, social etc). We moved them to another school and the behavioural issue instantly disappeared. Several parents of that school have also done the same with same results. The schools’ leadership qualities were worlds apart.

Are you suggesting that all children don’t need specialist provision?

So my 14 year old who functions at around. 2 years just needs better parenting?

I’m not disputing for a moment that some SEN children have shit parenting, but the reverse is also true. Parenting is doubtless a factor to this statistic but that doesn’t mean SEN isn’t.

If I was a teacher/TA - what is the head doing - what about the unions. If it was me I’d be calling the parents into school for a same day meeting and notifying the police. These levels of behaviour are totally unacceptable.

I also agree with the comment on poor school leadership and parent blame. I have known disrespectful leadership who fail to promote joined up working with families.

There is also Ofsted pressure now.

The curriculum is also nuts now.

I agree, ideally this would happen but I think it’s so normalised in some schools. Not all.

I was shocked to hear a friend tell me when her child was in Year 2 I think she lashed out a TA and slapped her because she was “in her face”. She could barely admit her child was wrong. It was like yes she was wrong BUT…And as AFAIK none of her kids have ever been excluded so I’m assuming that wasn’t what happened. She’s the type of parent to kick up a fuss of her kids (now teens) get a detention.

When I used to work in schools as a HLTA around 2010, I didn’t witness any of this. What’s gone wrong? Or was I just fortunate enough to be in the better schools ? Teaching staff shouldn’t stand for this.

I have 3 autistic children and they successfully mask too however if you’ve met one autistic child you’ve met one autistic child. Autism varies hugely, some are battling ADHD too, MH or other comorbities- all without adequate support or funding anywhere.

Because when you were a child the children who needed specialist provision likely HAD specialist provision. Class sizes were smaller - now children who need specialist provision are put in mainstream first, if they ever get out at all. They can’t cope.

Interesting bbc article and programme on the effectiveness is schools taking a compassionate approach - this isn’t about schools being soft, it’s about them understanding and working with individual reasons behind behaviours. All behaviour is communication as the SaLT team say.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm5x8r48d5ko.amp

In addition there are high numbers of children leaving mainstream education or becoming school refusers due to SEN or mental health issues or other unmet needs. I believe the school system needs a shake up so that the curriculum is better balanced for the broad range of pupils it educates. There are too many children who seem like a round peg in a square hole, highlighting that provisions need to change.

I say all this as someone who has experienced violence regularly in a complex educational setting.

@MrsMurphyIWish

send doesn’t ‘excuse it’ but you have to admit in many cases it is a contributing factor. All autistic kids aren’t the same so yours may be able to mask their meltdowns but others can’t.

I was hit, punched, slapped, kicked and then child tried to stab me with scissors. I wasn’t allowed to say I wouldn’t teach the child. There is so so much violence in schools. I’m not sure where we will be 5 years from now.

Thank you.

So another 'stop talking about this and we'll pretend it doesn't happen, and if it does its the teachers fault'?

Any child assaulting a member of staff, even accidentally (a colleague once broke up a fight and was punched by one of the kids by accident), is always followed up with a severe sanction, usually exclusion for at least a day also not from this quoted post, but I can't believe a severe sanction for physical assault staff or pupil is a day!!
That child wanted to punch somebody!

It’s not an excuse - it’s a contributing factor.

Many children with SEND ARE violent and it’s not automatically their parents fault. Your post is insulting to those parents.

@Didimum

Our SLT are good and are really present around school the whole day. When you do a duty call to the classroom one usually appears pretty fast to help. It helps that my HOD is very supportive and will happily kick up a fuss if he thinks we aren’t being looked after!