WIBU if I complain about this teacher?

He was a rotten manager and horribly insecure. He had poor qualifications and was very conscious of it. He'd been the Head of the middle school when it amalgamated with the high school and most of his toadies moved with him when the merger happened. Anyone who questioned or criticised him got reported.

I just hope the poor teacher in this scenario doesn't work for someone like him.

Outrageous! How did the staff feel about that and why was he like that?

She was protecting the other boy from the intimidation of your son and his friends. If my child had behaved like this the last thing on my mind would be complaining about the teacher, I'd be mortified and despairing I'd raised a thug!

This Terry Pratchett quote seems apposite here.

Great. That means they wouldn't have been interested when I was held by a boy much bigger and stronger than I was and had my head repeatedly smashed into a wall. 🙄

Or in our local authority been informed that police have asked we only report incidents if a weapon has been involved or someone has required medical attention!

Hopefully your son will be expelled so he can't do this again. You should be in the school apologising not looking to complain. You have raised a thug.

I'd say I can't believe this is real, but I'm a teacher, and this happens ALL the time.

Your child is a violent thug, and you are a horrifically bad parent. I hope that he faces severe consequences, I hope that you do too, and I hope the poor teacher is OK.

Again, can confirm, this also happens, and far too regularly.

HonestAquaMember, totally true. And then they will have the front to throw you under a bus if you complain, take it further etc

Tgis attitude towards this ex teacher by their school is getting to be normal, and "normalised" by SLT, unfortunately. I have colleagues where their own parents have passed and the head has been sniffy about time off and not even a "sorry to hear that" (whereas the golden teachers/teacherettes have had their own parental losses emailed out by the head, school wide, to warn everyone to tread carefully and they might be "delicate").

I have had pregnant colleagues (yes more than one) knocked over by children in corridors - knocked to the floor but invertebrate SLT said nothing, same with 2 colleagues who had suffered miscarriage.

Same as colleagues who have intervened to stop two kids fighting and have suffered long term medical issues (won't saying what so as not to potentially doxx)...

The list goes on. Not a surprise there is a crisis in teaching. As your own kids' school, everyone, how many unqualified teachers (eg long term cover supervisors) they have in school teaching your kids' lessons. I bet you'd be shocked.

Thank you for confirming this. I hope the teacher in this case is supported by her management team.

He routinely refused to provide references for staff who highlighted the discipline problems in the school. That included me. When I phoned the LA the person who answered the phone yelled down the office "TB is being difficult again". Another colleague of mine who went to work in the LA (she'd managed to leave without crossing him) confirmed that his failure to support staff who'd been assaulted was well known.

But he wasn't walking away. He was tuning around to start again

You should be bloody embarrassed and grovelling on your knees to the teacher

Parents like you are what is wrong woth our schools today.

Bloody justifying your own kids violence.

Mine wouldn't be let out of his room for a month

Can you see appreciate how scary that was for the teacher. Iv been in that situation with 14 year old boys/men (as they can be huge) and its bloody terrifying.

You need to count your lucky stars the school didn't call the police on your son. Getting 3 mates, forming a gang and going round deliberately to attack someone

Seriously you need to give yourself a slap. I would be beyond mortified if that was my child and tbh my school would be looking at expelling him

Thank you for your kind response. I haven’t thought about it for a long time but I felt a bit unsettled last night after posting. I still remember the 2 boys’ names and faces 20 years later, and wonder how their lives turned out. It’s very kind of complete strangers to empathise, thankyou for that ❤️ Teachers face potential danger every day in many schools and I send solidarity to all of them.

I've worked in schools as a teacher my whole life. If you are assaulted by a student, you are heavily discouraged from going to the police, to enable the school to keep a 'good reputation'.

It's awful, but the way a lot of schools are run.

That's absolutely scandalous. Imagine people working for any other organization being told that.

OP parents like you are the reason there’s so much bad behaviour in schools!! The teacher was protecting a child who had been under attack from 4 older children. She didn’t hurt your son, I’d be surprised if she could if she wanted to (teenagers are huge where I am). If it was the other way round and she was protecting your son from 4 older lads would you be bothered how she did it?

Partly because we know that kids with parents like this already have their life chances drastically reduced. Take away their education and they have no hope. It's not fair to the child to be born to a feckless parent so schools try to do what they can to mitigate the damage and that means keeping them in school.

Partly because changes to PEX rules mean it's virtually impossible to actually exclude a child.

Partly because even though you know it's a load of nonsense, Heads can't really give their view point when a parent goes to the press. A head can't be quoted saying "Mrs X is a feckless waste of oxygen with no parenting skills. Don't believe a word she says." And they can't defend their reasoning for the consequences because it involves a child, so can't comment on the event.

Partly because police will bat it back to school unless it was drugs related or a&e level injury.

But yes, also plenty of SLT that just want the parent to shut up and go away and appeasing them is the quickest way to do that.

however if she did it after he was walking away that is also not reasonable

I suspect that this is not how it happened at all. You already said this but as he turned round again to say something to the other boy she has pushed him away from her and again screamed at him to get out. He clearly wasn't just walking away, by your own admission. Even if all he did was turn round to verbally abuse the other boy, it's not unreasonable for the teacher to assume that he was going to attack again, given that he had already done so. She was therefore attempting to physically prevent this, which she is allowed to do.

It must have been extremely frightening for her. Four teenage boys, presumably all bigger and stronger than her, attacking a younger boy in her presence. She's a very brave woman, and you are an idiot for thinking that she did something wrong. What else should she have done at this point.

Don't you dare make a complaint. Your son is the problem, not the teacher who has done nothing wrong. While I sympathise with you, it must be very difficult having a violent child, you should be focussing totally on how to discipline and get help for your child. Don't criticise a teacher who was only doing her best in a very scary situation. No wonder teachers are leaving the profession. Parents like you are reason.

Presumably the reason the younger boy was in isolation was to protect him from your son and his gang of thugs?

In fact when the Deputy was assaulted pupils wondered whether the pupil in question might be expelled. One of my class had it right. "Mrs X (the boy's mother) will threaten to go to the papers. Mr B (the Head) will be trying to shut her up. He won't back Mr M (the Deputy) up. M. (the pupil) will be back in class by break. That was what happened - just as she said.

It was absolutely unacceptable, your son, and some friends , stormed into a room to attack a younger child. I think the teacher did perfectly to get the violent attackers ie your son and his friends, out of the room the younger child was in before any of them decided to go for a second try to attack the younger child. I think she deserves your apologies for your son's behaviour and your thanks for dealing with the situation and conceivably avoiding your son facing assault charges.

I think you're trying to downgrade the violent behaviour of your son by accusing the teacher. I think it's pathetic, and I also think it goes some way perhaps to explaining your sons behaviour.