Backpack strap cut with scissors

And? In my child's school, the white staff handle any allegations of racism VERY badly. They dismiss and deny. It's majority rule.

Unless OP is in Northern Ireland?

It's hard where there's no witness. Yes school could talk to whole class and should do so. Look at their bullying policy and decide if they are following it.

To give another side, there's a kid in dd class who's always saying my dd bullies him. She had a very hard talk from me to say that is is never To go near him. If she was hurt and no one else around she never goes go near him under any circumstances. Never.

Not sure what's gone on before because its always been he said / she said. Except for when he wrote dd a note inviting her to fight after school and was caught doing so in class, but he still singles her out if he has had a bad day. She was named when police was called in for a incident at lunch. She wasn't anywhere near him. There's solid proof she wasn't. Twice he's insisted she has done something while not being present. Parents don't seem to care there's proof of her not being involved ( with a member of staff all lunch). The only witnessed proof is him bullying her.

School can blame her to placate his parents if they want to but without proof or in reality no possible chance it was her. They can't look into the real issue. I'm not saying my dd is an angel but she isn't writing to anyone for a fight yet one word with zero proof gets the police into school. Police didn't even want to talk my dd as it was impossible she was even remotely involved. But the parents and try to drag her into every single drama anyway because she called him a idiot supposedly three years ago.

They need to get the police in if there are children taking blades to school.

Can it be pinpointed to his class specifically?

Absolutely this should be taken seriously. I'd be scared to send my child to school knowing other kids had blades on them.

You mentioned the pupils and teachers are mainly Irish. Presumably that means you are located in Ireland? Is so, oftsted obviously have no jurisdiction there as it is a UK thing.

This sounds so horrible for you and your son. If you don't feel you're being listened to, you need to put it in writing and send/email it to the headteacher initially. If you still don't feel listened to then email or write to the chair of governors.

The school will not be able to tell you about the child who cut the straps of your sons backpack so it might be the school are dealing with the situation but they need to reassure you it's being appropriately handled.

I’m sorry your child is being bullied but
your posts come across as xenophobic OP.

Exactly
Of course bullying should be addressed and the school can ask the child who was bullying your child if they did this but if they deny it there is not a lot the school can do unfortunately with no proof.
As for stabbing your child I doubt that will happen, damaging property is very different to stabbing someone

Living up to your blonde reputation I see @BlondiePortz. Likely the OP is a foster carer or English is not their first language.

Are you in Ireland or the UK op?

Sounds like the school has their hands full with behavioural problems. Throwing chairs and slapping children in the face is not the usual. The teacher could well be off on stress or assault leave, hence the visiting (substitute) teacher.

You can't simply punish a child with behavioural needs and need to work on a behaviour plan and promoting the positive behaviour which from the outside can look like praising poor behaviour. Schools are very limited in this regard.

You lost your argument for a robust investigation and assurances from the school when you repeatedly implied that the Irish teachers and pupils are targeting your migrant child just down to the fact that they are Irish, like it is a given that they behave in the exact same manner worldwide. Irish people are individuals and we have good and bad like every other nationality, even your own.

Calling the teacher and school racist will not get them to assist you any more efficiently.

That’s not been cut with children’s scissors and no 8 year olds should have access to scissors sharp enough to cut webbing.
I think you need to escalate this and write to the school governors. The words to use are “ no child should be in possession of a bladed article on school premises” Emphasise your concern to safety. If they still do nothing contact Ofsted.
If you still get nowhere , as pp have said, look for another school. No child should go to school in fear.

I think you should have said bag was cut by a sharp implement - surely that could be a knife so they need to be more worried than to dismiss -if there was then a sharp implement found there would I think be hell to pay by the school.

I agree that the strap hasn’t necessarily been cut which was why I voted YABU.

Also, there’s a word for prejudging people because of their ethnicity isn’t there…?

I haven’t read your previous post but I’d be furious if another child intentionally cut the backpack and I’d 100% complain to the school and the parents.

Nip this in the bud or bad behaviour will continue.

Hi OP,

Are you in Northern Ireland, if you have all Irish kids and staff, but still ofsted inspections? Would it be okay to ask where you yourself are from?

Do the school have a bullying policy? It should be on their website or you should have been given it when your son started at the school.

Find the bullying policy, take it to the school and tell them they are not following it.

If they don't do something, complain to the local authority.

Are there other children who are being bullied? Can you also talk to their parents? - You will have more sway in bigger numbers.

I agree with the others who said it might be best to find a different school.

I know it feels unfair, but it might be what’s best for your child. This school is obviously not dealing with the bullying appropriately. Even if you complain to the governors, it can be a very lengthy process to get a resolution. I would complain, but also find another school at the same time.

Go onto the school's website and look up their policies on bullying, safeguarding and also complaints.

Put everything in writing, even if you get a phone call, follow it up with an email to confirm what was agreed or said on the phone call. You can install a voice recorder app onto your phone which automatically records the calls so you can refer back to it. My own phone will write a transcript of any phone call I make.

Follow their procedures from their policies and use their language, ie use the word safeguarding. Most scissors in classrooms would struggle to cut through a bag strap, they are for paper and cardboard (usual red scissors or the left handed green and yellow ones) so I would be raising a concern that a child has brought scissors into school which is serious.

Because they know a child has entered the cloakroom and done this they should be putting monitoring in place. At the start and end of the day there is usually a member of staff lurking to keep an eye on them. If a child leaves the classroom to go to the toilet then this should be noted so that if anything occurs like a bag strap being cut then they can question the children who potentially had access to it.

As a starting point, are you actually sure the bag has been cut? I ask because I had a backpack strap that broke in exactly that way - a straight line. I think it is the way the strap is manufactured

The op is also talking about year 2 and 3 which makes no sense in an irish context. A 7 year old would be in 1st or 2nd class. Saying everyone racist is Irish without saying its in Ireland is very odd. All our schools are very multicultural now. It's just a weird post.

Are you in Ireland (the republic)? Ofsted don't operate here. You also seem to be implying that the headteacher, as well as all of the other teachers, are racist (as they're not doing anything because the perpetrator is Irish). There are bad apples here for sure, but that the entire teaching cohort in a school is openly racist seems unlikely. Incompetent principal with substitute teachers who are young and intimidated by the principal I could more readily believe.

I'm using the Irish names for things (principal etc.) for things here but I'm assuming that you're in Ireland.

That's because they don't have to show it to Ofsted. I'm a retired governance professional, it's up to you, but I've posted above on the most effective way to complain about this. Use the complaints procedure.

Don't waste your money on recorded deliveries either - what drama. You can email your complaint in with a read receipt. However the complaints procedure will tell you that the school have to acknowledge your complaint within a certain number of days - usually within 5 days - so you'd quickly know if they hadn't picked it up.

Schools will not disclose any measures in place to manage another child. The tone doesn’t lie well with me as it’s suggesting the problem is simply that the Irish staff and pupils are somehow ganging up on everyone who isn’t Irish.

I’d move my children to a different school. There will be little bullies everywhere but the school’s response is inadequate and the lack of permanent teachers is very concerning.