Dealing with teachers who are (imho) bullying children

Hi Op,
I have worked in schools with some brilliant teachers and crazy batshit ones too who the system protected. I would say focus on getting your child out of that toxic environment and complain to the head so there is some form of paper trail in the system. If this thread was about your manager calling another colleague “stupid” and you standing up for them, the responses will be different. For some reason, some people think teachers are holy and children should learn to be “resilient” when treated liked shit.

Makes sense

I would love to hear the school's version of events.

Is this a state school in the UK?
It's all very strange.

Lots of teachers in their 40s/50s have been bullied out on capability because they were too expensive!

Cash-strapped schools don’t want threshold teachers when they could have two cheap new ones instead.

This means that very inexperienced teachers end up in leadership roles.

Indeed, but the new head usually phones up the old head and asks what to expect.

What did he actually SAY?

State schools don’t give pupil references.

Maybe this should be it's own thread and it might just be that I am older, but I do feel like some professions are getting more senior positions at younger ages. I don't know if it is because of the shortage in these areas either. Specifically I'm talking about teaching and nursing.

It might be due to a need for culture change within these professions. I can see a place for that. Attitudes to certain things have changed.

But I can't remember any of the most senior teachers in my primary school being in their 20s. There were some in their 30s who I'd say were well established and trusted by all but they were "just" class teachers. Or they might be something like "head of PE/music" or "Year 6 co-ordinator". But most of their job was just teaching their class like any other teacher. The Deputy and the Head didn't have classes. We had about 500 kids if I remember correctly. Every year had 2 or 3 classes of 30ish.

You don't need references to move school, unless these are private schools.

Gah! This many of these responses make me really uncomfortable. There is another thread about what’s driving bad behaviour in school with an emerging theme of bad parenting and parents believing their children; there is also lots of defence around having lots of strict rules maintain control.

It doesn’t seem to occur to anyone that if you have teachers wound tight like a spring in these circumstances that they are more likely to make errors of judgement with an individual child and that, for some individuals, power can go to your head.

For what it’s worth you don’t come across as a fishwife to me. You know your child and you know whether you trust the school. I’d raise with the head and explain what you’ve been told so it can be properly explored but I would also look at your options for school transfer. I don’t think these environments being described would be acceptable in most workplaces so I dont think they prepare you for anything and I know I’d have found that extremely oppressive.

DC has however stood up for one of the children who was being called stupid by making a light hearted comment.

Hmm. I wonder what the teacher's version of this is. I bet it wouldn't be. "I was calling the children stupid and Deriv's ds stood up for one of them by making a lighthearted comment."

I could see this being the case in the past, but now, I think these skills are pretty obsolete.

Things like time management, financial literacy, personal and career development and social aptitude are far more important in today's workplace and life in general. Many of these involve being disciplined but in ways that are relevant to the world today.

I can believe this. I had a french teacher who told me I would never get a job or do well because of my handwriting. (I’m left handed) she really upset me but denied it after i’d told the pastoral care at school. I was 12.

that was 20 years ago and it still pisses me off. Screw her though- a few months later my work was being used as examples of teaching and I scored highest in gcses. I’ve also had a job since I turned 15.

some people think teachers are infallible but they are just people. Intimidating pupils is not preparing them for work it’s preparing them to be afraid.

Unsurprising, your views sound about 30 years out of date

@Loopylou7219 No, just nearly 3 decades of teaching experience

Wow what a crazy concept; your child coming to you with a problem, feeling secure enough to tell you and you actually believe them...so disappointing to read some people's views on how children deserve to be treated and spoken too at school. I wonder if any of the PPs who are defending these teachers behaviour, would tolerate their managers speaking to them that way.

I'm also struggling to see how a whole bunch of horrible new teachers all turned up together.

The school can't be very good if so many good teachers have left, regardless of what the new ones are like.

At best you aren't over the old ones leaving and you're taking it out on the new ones.

"Teachers who are bullying children" thread title.

Definition of bullying-the act of intimidating, coercing or harming someone intentionally (and continuing to do so even when asked to stop.)

Don't you realise what a serious allegation this is? That your child's teachers are bullying children?
What is it that they are doing to intentionally harm and repeatedly do so even when asked to stop?
Cant find any answers in your post tbh. Didn't stop you using that headline for a thread title though. Cheap shot.

Stop complaining about schools.