If you work in a school is this normal?

[Dustpantsandbush]

I work in a primary in early years. The staff are very critical of the children, kids have been described as ‘awful human being's’ ‘little twats’ ‘thick as shit’ lots of kids who are less than their idea of perfect written off as ‘pointless’ or ‘not worth bothering with’ the children are aged between 3-5 years old. when I challenge it I’m told I’m too sensitive, staff need to vent ect. None of this is said to the children themselves just about them.
It makes me so uncomfortable and sorry for the little ones. Interactions with children seem otherwise fine but what is said behind their backs is borderline nasty. Am I being too sensitive?

Work on supply so in lots of school and no this is not normal. Most staff room chat, if about the children at all, is funny anecdotes of things they’ve done or an exasperated humour of the crazy thing so-and -so has said rather than nasty language like that!

I’m a reception teacher, and I’ve never come across a member of staff saying things like this. Venting yes, but this is beyond acceptable. On Monday, I’d chase up the DSL you’ve reported to, asking that action has been taken (although technically they don’t have to tell you). If you feel it’s not being dealt with, I’d speak to the governors.

I work in a college, so dealing with teenagers all day. The worst we say about them is probably calling them little sod's, but it's said affectionately. Behaviour can be challenging and, of course, we moan to each other. But never with malice.

I have 16 and 17 year olds that are working at ks1 level English or maths and I can't imagine anyone calling them thick. We just worry about how best to support them.

What you have experienced is disgusting tbh.

These comments are in breach of the Teacher standards

Unfortunately if these comments are rife then there is a culture in the school that does not address it and it has been allowed to develop
Whistleblow but I reckon the leadership is ineffective
You could try the governors but likely the leadership will tell them you are a disgruntled person

Not at all normal or professional or acceptable

No, that’s not normal. People might moan about kids being particularly hyper that day or parents being unkind but nothing nasty like that. I think the culture of that schools sounds terrible.

No - not normal, but I’ve got a feeling that you know this already.
To me, this seems so outrageous that it’s almost like encouraging other school professionals to fess up to similar.

Not normal at all. At the most you might hear something like 'xxx is being a little sod today'. Not great but even then it is labelling the behaviour, not the child. If staff are talking about the kids like that it must bleed into their interactions with the kids too.

In all the years I’ve worked in schools the only time I heard anything like that was when my own son’s teacher walked into the staff room and said she fucking hated the boys in her class…i worked there too and I questioned her by asking oh dear did she mean my child too and she massively tried to back track.
I left not long after and moved him aswell.
never heard anything like it before then or since

I work in Early Years and have never heard anything like that. In fact, quite the opposite - even the more challenging children, staff are like "aw, but they are so cute though right..."

A culture has been allowed to develop which needs to be challenged. Well done for reporting before you leave. My staffroom is like a gathering of the pupil fanclub -we sing their praises and share positive stories from our classrooms.

The first thing that sprang to mind when I read your account was that yours is a school where staff are under immense pressure and that this is a maladaptive strategy to distance themselves from what are the unreasonable expectations placed on them. Of course we are all professionally accountable for the progress made by our classes, and sometimes this can feel like a challenge when individual pupils present with obstacles to learning, but meeting these challenges should never become a negative story about the child. It sounds as if this staff team have been cut loose with only crushing expectations and little or no support from school leadership, leaving teachers to feel overwhelmed and out of control, their anxiety and resentment spilling out on the children. Poor kids.

I have heard horror stories about two executive heads of MAT schools (separate trusts) in our area who have gone through class lists with KS2 teachers at the start of the academic year, essentially condemning groups of learners as 'not worth bothering with' in terms of whether they're expected to get combined scores by the end of Y6, and compelling teachers to focus the small amount of support available on more able, key marginal pupils. I can see how this could happen as schools, especially MATs, are under immense pressure to meet performance targets and integrity and statutory rights of pupils go out the window.

No not normal. I’ve worked state primary schools for 16 years. Staff may talk about how challenging a child or class has been but not using language like that. That would be seen as very unprofessional.

Please report this to the school governors as well as the dsl, this is a staff culture issue and as such needs outside pressure to ensure change.
I am a teacher and have never, ever heard such language used about pupils. It's not OK and you are right to question it.

That's awful. Absolutely not. At primary age terrible.

Report to OFSTED and the Governing Body. Keep a record of insults etc.
I have never heard a member of staff talk about students in this way in my very long career as a teacher. Don't be afraid to tell SLT that you are taking it further. It is completely unacceptable. Staff are likely to lose jobs because of this.
Can you tell us where in the country this is happening?

Jeez, no, not normal at all. I work in a school and while teachers might vent occasionally I've never heard them or the TAs talking like that consistently.

The opposite, in fact.

Wow- I've worked in half a dozen schools and Never heard language like that. In my experience over a decade, staff speak with respect about and towards children and parents.

I don’t work in schools anymore, but when I did my teacher training in the late 90s, that’s the way the staff used to talk in the staff room (less swearing but very critical and moaned about the kids and gossiped about them). I was shocked! Completely shocked! I assumed it must be normal.

I then graduated and went to work in a really fantastic setting and it didn’t happen. Staff did talk about the children and their families, but not in a cruel, gossipy way.

I’ve come to the conclusion that this happens in bad schools where the staff are unhappy. Poor children.

OMG no it is not normal! Please speak to your headteacher. I work in a primary school with nursery and reception children. I cannot comprehend what I have just heard. Disgusting.

No it's not normal.
I taught in primary schools for over a decade and never heard anything as bad as that.
I've heard people say "So and so is being a nightmare today" but that's about the worst I've heard. Also heard someone refer to a child as being "a space cadet".

I'm sure every setting and staff member has odd moments of negativity but not this.

The Roald Dahl story where the person with ugly thoughts gets uglier and uglier springs to mind.

I don’t work in a school but as a parent I would hope that any teacher/staff member who heard that kind of language used about a child would report immediately to Ofsted and the board of governors.

You know that isn't ok OP. The suggestion to tell the parents is not a good plan,but seeing as you are leaving anyway you could try directly challenging it when you hear it, say it is mean and unkind. It will make you hugely unpopular but they are being horrible and these kids deserve better.

A friend is a primary school teacher and when she had her hen party she invited about a dozen female teachers from her school. Another mutual friend and I were amongst about 6 non-teachers attending and we were shocked at the gossip about the children at their school.

It was a daytime/evening event and these teachers talked ALL DAY about the children, and I remember one said she had to tell a parent that “her son was just plain thick,” which they all found hilarious. My friend did not join in with these conversations and I do wonder what she was thinking inviting these cows, and if they were actually friends. I’ve never forgotten what a vile group of women they were and mutual friend and I left the party as soon as was decent.

So, it might be rare but vile teachers are still out there unfortunately and this kind of attitude should be a disciplinary at the very least.

It is not normal at all, but I think you are looking in the wrong place for the people responsible. What on earth makes professional people who have chosen to study education and dedicate their lives to children speak like that?

Staff welfare and morale must be at absolute rock bottom. Reporting the staff is not going to help.

You need to report the management who are causing this culture. Is it in a MAT? Go to the head of the MAT. If not, try ofsted.

No and I would complain about any member of staff speaking about the kids like that. Unfortunately if it's happening a lot I'd say you have a toxic school so change jobs then tell them when you leave because I'd hazard a guess they don't care.