To ask not to be assaulted at work

[WearingThin]

Bit of a rant really but also to see what 'common sense' thinks because I am beginning to doubt myself. Have namechanged to try and keep confidential.

I work as a TA in a primary school and since September I have had a child in my class (year 1) with a volatile temper. When she hurts other children I have to remove her from the classroom and she hits and/or kicks me.

How long would you expect a TA to put up with this? Do I have no rights to be safe at work? If this was your child, what would you expect to be done about it?

Senior Management seem to think it's part of the job these days as it's a growing problem and is only expected to get worse.

The point is, this child is not being helped by the methods they have in place. The OP needs to keep making senior management aware of this fact, befre things deteriorate further.

Do you have a risk assessment?

Have you seen it? Discussed it with someone? Did you sign it?

I ask because this is usually a very effective method of getting things moving.

If you haven't seen one, demand to see it. If there isn't one demand one is carried out.

Look at what it says in the consequences bit. Ask if whoever did the assessment is aware of just how frequent the attacks are, and the level of injury you sustain each time.

Chances are they are not aware. It might mean they have to put some measures in place to protect you.

sounds like either the child needs more support OR needs a more specialist placement. If it was as simple as telling her not to kick/hit then I think someone - whether staff or parent would have tried this!. Presumably you are the class TA and not her 1-1 LSA?

upahill
the OP doesn't say she is a TA to the child
from reading the OP i took it that she was a general TA for a year 1 class
(would many of the children have a statement from the start of term to warrant a 1:1 TA?)

YANBU OP

No SN, ed psych suggests low self esteem.

Apocalypse she can sometimes be persuaded to come away and do an activity she enjoys but physically moving her is a last resort, so I wouldn't try to move her too early. Moving her will always make her angry but sometimes it has to be done to keep the other children safe.

The teacher doesn't move her because she is teaching and can't really spend 20 minutes supervising one child until they calm down enough to come back and join in the lesson.

Seems that most people do think it comes with the territory. I think the job is changing, it wasn't like this 10 years ago, this is the only child who has ever regularly assaulted me. It's been more upsetting to see her punch another child in the face, tbh.

Parents say she is not a problem at home. Parents do lots of nice treaty things with her, regardless of whether she has assaulted anyone at school, to make her feel better. That's up to them, not what I would do, but she is their child and it's her future not mine.

"The OP is a TA, therefore I would summize that the child has SEN.
That means it is not a typical child in class but one that needs extra support for behaviour reasons as well as educational.
Comments like 'what are the parent's doing?' are just ignorant and uninformed."

upahill, you've already compared severely autistic DC to this child - which from the OP, and from knowing DC which have the level of non-verbal AS you describe I'd say is something of a massive leap. Now you're making assumptions about my level of knowledge and experience of SEN children. I'm very well informed about what a (responsible, respectful) parent might do thank you very much.

It's sounds as though you need more training to manage the situation op. I wouldn't say it was part of your job description as such, but occasionally these things happen when doing that type of work. But if it's happening on a daily basis then the child's plan need to be reviewed and more effective strategies put in place, including more training for you.

So the child's got no SN, just kicks off when she wants to and the parents are doing fuck all, being totally unsupportive of the school and staff (and ultimately their kid) and don't issue sanctions when she kicks and hits her teaching staff or punches another child in the face.

It seems that you might have summized incorrectly, upahill.

Oh, I forgot to add, WearingThin, my advice would be to get out of the state sector and work in an independent school where that sort of behaviour isn't tolerated because it doesn't have to be.

I am whole class TA to 30 children. There is no 1-1 because she doesn't qualify for extra funding. I have asked for extra training and was told that other than team teach there isn't anything available. I am begining to realise that maybe the SMT is a bit crap. I haven't seen any risk assessment, there is a behaviour plan but that's what we're doing at the moment and it doesn't seem to be working.

We do give her loads of praise and try to boost her self esteem whenever possible but there are no sanctions for her behaviour, no boundaries, no-one telling her that's not acceptable. I always make sure she apologises when she's calm to whoever she has hurt, including me, but SMT don't. The other children are starting to reject her, they don't want to play with her because if she doesn't get her own way she hurts them.

My eldest did regularly assault his TA (he is autistic).

I expected them to restrain him. There is no reason on earth why they should allow him to hit them, headbut them, bite them, etc without defending themselves (blocking, restraining, etc)- but - they know their job is 1:1 support of an autistic child who is aggressive. That's what they signed up for. I expected them to deal with the behaviour professionally while protecting themselves from physical injury.

Your situation is a little different in that that's NOT what you signed up for. There is no reason on earth why you should simply allow a child to attack you without protecting yourself.

Your problem here is management and lack of parental support.

What to do depends on how much you need the job. You could quit, you could refuse to work with her, you could deliver her directly to the head and walk away, you could get the union involved.

That girl is being totally failed. One day she's going to attack the wrong person and she's going to get the shock of her life and the shit kicked out of her. And that could be prevented if the parents and the school (management, I know you're doing what you can, with the restrictions placed upon you) dealt with the behaviour now. When she gets to secondary, and she thinks she can kick out at other kids - they're going to knock her teeth out.

I take no pleasure in saying that, I am not saying it's justice or good or deserved - because she's as much a victim of their failure to address the behaviour as everyone else is. I'm just saying that it's inevitable. She's going to lash out, in the end, at someone who will give it back.

(btw- my aggressive little boy, with the support and encouragement of everyone involved-us, school, etc - grew into a (mostly ) sweet and gentle young chap!)

Sorry to hear this. Hope it gets sorted for you.

I know of an academic at the local university who got assaulted by a student who was fighting in the canteen. The academic stepped in to break it up and was assaulted enough to have to go to hospital with a head injury.

The student who started the fight put in a complaint saying they were the ones hurt in the fight and the academic was suspended from work and had a disciplinary on their record. Management did not defend the academic and blamed them. Essentially adding down the message that assault is ok

Hope it doesn't go that way for you

If you've made her apologise WearingThin, wouldn't that include telling her she shouldn't behave like that?

Your problem here is management and lack of parental support this is how I feel.

What to do depends on how much you need the job. You could quit, you could refuse to work with her, you could deliver her directly to the head and walk away, you could get the union involved good advice, thank you, except I cannot refuse to work with her. I have delivered her directly to the head many times and the head will do a lovely treat with her to distract her and let her calm down (cookery, gardening, playing a game, etc). I don't want to quit (yet) as the rest of my job is lovely, she won't even be in my class next year anyway so I suppose I won't have to deal with her in the same way. I have considered joining a union and might do so.

I agree that she is being failed. I do make her apologise but no-one else does. Once she is calm, they are just so relieved to be able to get back to what they were doing before it all kicked off. They don't want to risk her getting angry again. Often she doesn't want to apologise so I give her more time to calm down and don't let her join back in until she is ready to apologise. I think it's important even if it means another 20 minutes or so. I think it's worth investing the time and effort now to help her in the future but if her parents don't want to or can't do it and SMT don't see it as a problem, why should I worry. (I know I should, but I am getting to the end of my tether).

You are a TA, not an LSA, and it doesn?t come with your job, and your SMT are crap, they are failing you, the child, the teacher, and the rest of the class.

In short, yes you do have rights not to be injured, mental and physical injury when at work.

Check out the hse website (sorry can't link on phone)

I was preparing to be all no!! but they are children and you are an adult an I'm guessing you have some knowledge of her issues?

How is the child out of curiousity??

Agree that you and the child are being failed by SMT. If the school can't manage her behaviour, the answer isn't to send you off on Team Teach then decide job's a good un. There should be some form of LEA wide behaviour advisory service, surely?

It does sound abit unfortunate if this child is effectively being rewarded for incidents by doing enjoyable activities with the head.

Is the behavioural management strategy for this child one that has been advised by the psychologist? From what you have posted it doesnt sound that you think it is at all effective.

"I have had team teach training. The child is not restrained but I use the methods I have been taught to guide or if necessary move her to a place where she is safe, the other children are safe, but unfortunately I am not safe."

I am a TeamTeach trainer- this situation is completely unacceptable. Who else has been trained? It should be the whole school. Why is the child not being restrained? Have you been taught effective holds? Did you do the 6hr or the 12hr training? Who else did the training and why aren't they involved? Does the child have a Positive Handling Plan?

The school needs to get the TeamTeach trainer back in and re-do the training if necessary. You should not be being hurt on a regular basis. This is bad for the child, bad for the other children, bad for staff, bad for you, bad for the school. The school need to take action NOW. BTW, you can refuse to restrain the child if you want to- this may pressure the school to take action. If they dismiss you for this, you have a case for unfair dismissal.

PM me if you want to give details of area and need etc. and I will help if I can

I know this isn't really what you started the thread about, but I wonder where her low self esteem is coming from and how it is causing her to lash out :(

Also I keep hearing of Nurture Groups, they have a lot at my DD's school for DCs with any difficulties - sometimes through volunteering I've overheard them and they really are amazing (our school does seem astoundingly well funded though in terms of number of TAs etc). Is that something this girl could have access to?

I really think you should get this thread deleted, incase someone recognises you as your school may say you are breaching confidentiality.

Talk to your class teacher, line manager, even union if needs be, but please don't make yourself vulnerable.

Good luck op, I hope things improve for you and the child.

How old is she?

So her reward for kicking off is to go with SMT and do an activity she enjoys? No wonder there is no progress.

I hope every time you are assaulted you ask for the form to report the incident to the LA.

When she thumps the SMT* she'll be expelled (pupils and TAs are fair game)

At least we assume he was expelled DD1 happily reports not seeing him again.