Serious incidents between pupils in the school holidays

[Foxesandsquirrels]

Out of curiosity, how do schools go about dealing with serious incidents in the school holidays? As an example, things like serious fights between pupils, pupils being caught shoplifting, arrested etc. Things that would get you, at the very least, some sort of suspension in term time. I don't expect schools to sort this out, but this sort of thing ends up getting dragged into the school eventually. Do they just come back in Sept to deal with the collateral damage? Do social services take over or is there some sort of DSL on duty the whole time?

Oh, absolutely worth every penny ( that's sarcasm!)

Tlrs are insulting. The amount of responsibility and work included for a minuscule amount of money when split over the year.

At my school (primary) Head is DSL alongside SLT, but safeguarding is primarily dealt with by our PSAs (TA wages). They are paid a few extra days and are on call for scheduled meetings/emergency meetings/home visits over the holidays.

This is why I get annoyed at threads about teachers pay when it’s pointed out that you will top out at some point. Someone always says you can become a head or deputy head without realising that it’s a very different job with much longer hours.

Yh sounds like very different jobs.

What a joke. I'm so sorry. You all deserve better.

I work in a small school, as Head I am on L9, that's just under £54000. And I'm top of my school scale so can't earn any more ( except cost of living rises) without changing schools- which I don't want to do as I love my school!. Yes, it's a decent amount but not exactly earth shattering!

I can make an imaginative leap, and obviously I read things in newspapers, but I have had children and I don't actually know anyone in real life who's experienced anything like this.

But a lot of parents will also have your experience. They won't personally know any children who steal or fight, but it's not very common to come across someone who's mind boggles at the idea of this happening. It's really not that mind boggling to figure out why a child will want to shoplift or fight, even if you personally know no one that does.
Do you personally have to know people in order to understand their actions? My mind boggles at your lack of empathy and ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes.

It always makes me smile wryly when non-teachers claim that teachers don’t work ‘in the real world’. Through our work, we are aware of - and seen as responsible for trying to alleviate- a huge range of issues within local families and communities that many, many people living in that community will be entirely oblivious of.

I get you. I think there is definitely a bubble when it comes to working in education, but I think that's more because there's very few other jobs that are so all encompassing.

Absolutely. I can tell you where the local drug dealer lives, where he collects from and many of his customers, I know which families are in the verge of eviction and whether from anti social behaviour or non payment of rent, parents with life ending illnesses ( and some children too) which parents have non molestation orders in place, where domestic violence is commonplace, which families have a member in prison, children, yes even in primary, with a youth service order in place, families with mental health issues, the list goes on. I probably have more contact with the " real world" than most!

Exactly. This thread has been a real eye opener as to how clueless the public really is when it comes to the scope of schools responsibilities.

This thread has been a real eye opener as to how clueless the public really is when it comes to the scope of schools responsibilities.
Most people don't have a clue, which is understandable.
What's annoying is when school staff point out the reality of what goes on, and the problems they face plugging gaps in services, or the trade offs that have to be made each day, people who haven't a clue tell the people doing the job that they're making it all up/that's not what's happening etc.

Fair enough. As I think I said, I feel for anyone who has to deal with this kind of thing either as a parent or a teacher

Yes. I agree. I hope this thread has been an eye opener for some parents.

Absolutely.

Being a HT is not the rarified role that people think it is.

Tbh, even as ‘only’ a class teacher you tend to know these things, just for a smaller number of families / children.

The mental load in holiday times is wearing even if you have no formal DSL responsibilities, because there will always be children who you know aren’t getting the help / food / care / observation they get from school during holiday times. Always a relief to see them on the first day of term.

Yeap. I think some of the teachers that have commented on here must teach in schools that are relatively free of societal ills if they think nothing happens in the school holidays.

I think in secondary, pastoral and academic roles and responsibilities are more separate, so it would be possible for subject teachers to be relatively unaware.

In primary, the single class teacher role that covers both pastoral and academic responsibilities means that one would have to work quite hard to avoid at least an informal awareness.

For sure. I think primary is very different, although depends on area too. The well to do areas have lots of issues too, but those parents trend to be able to hide them more than in more deprived areas. Money is able to conceal a lot. I feel like in some aspects safeguarding for kids from well off families is at times more difficult.

I have spent a significant number of years teaching in a very privileged area, and also some teaching in areas of very high rural deprivation (more hidden, in general, than urban deprivation, and its dispersed nature made services even more hard to access).

You would be extremely surprised- and I know that the general community / parent body would have been absolutely aghast - to know what was going on even in the very privileged area.

@cantkeepawayforever I promise you I wouldn't be surprised, but by the sounds of it a lot of parents on here would be. There is so much neglect and drugs in very privileged areas.

You would be extremely surprised- and I know that the general community / parent body would have been absolutely aghast - to know what was going on even in the very privileged area.
I agree with you.

There's a lot more going on in most schools than your average parent would know.

More parents would benefit from having the OP's mindset of curiosity in my opinion.

DH and I are both on duty during the holidays. DH is a DSL as a deputy head in a special school. It would be unusual for us to get through even half term without safeguarding taking up some time- anything from misuse of social media to being contacted by police/ social care regarding the physical safety of a family.

I’m a SENCO so will be checking for EHCP paperwork, consultations and request for information from other agencies. Last summer, I think I wrote 3 or 4 responses to requests for places for children with significant need. Each of those will take at least a day plus two meetings with the head.

But hey…be a teacher, it’s such a family friendly profession.