to expect action from my manager?

[howmuchwouldyoutake]

I've name changed for obvious reasons. I'm having some problems at work and am after some impartial advice.

I work in a local FE college. A student in my class (male, 17 years old) was messing with his phone and had headphones in in a lesson. As soon as i noticed i asked him to turn it off. He told me to wait until he'd finished listening to a song. I asked again, stated that he knew the rules etc. He shouted 'fuck off you stupid bitch, I've told you to wait' i was shocked - had never had an issue before with him...

I asked him to leave, he refused and carried on swearing and calling me names so i called security. Security turned up along with a manager. Student told the security guards and manager to fuck off etc.

As he was escorted off he said that he was going to find me and kill me.

Manager wants to bring the student back tomorrow after a 2 day suspension with a verbal warning.

What would you expect from manager? I don't think it's an appropriate punishment.

I hope the union will be seeking to mobilise all staff in refusing to teach him. I agree that reporting to the police might concentrate your manager's and their manager's minds.

I rang the union twice today but no answer - I've let a message.

Tell your manager in email that you will be making a formal complaint to the police if the situation has been delt with thoroughly enough.

I think if ur manager and their manager are not taking this seriously the next step should be to contact the police.

Clearly your manager isn't interested in your safety let alone wellbeing.

I would just refuse to teach the student and contact the police.

When are you scheduled to teach him next ?

He's come back today without a return interview, on just a verbal warning. He's been moved to the class next door. I spent half the morning in tears over it but I've spoken to the union and i have a meeting with a rep and my manager on Monday.

A colleague has been grabbed and held by the wrist by a different sudent today. The teacher is new and doesn't want to cause a fuss so the student has gone unpunished.

This is awful OP, I'm a teacher in secondary and there is no way we would be expected to put up with this.

Hope the union get back to you. If you are feeling sick with the stress then go home. You have not caused this situation, you are trying to teach. You are not a police woman or a social worker you are an educator. They are treating you like shit, I'm so sorry.

Thanks half - i was very tempted to walk out. We've told the managers that it's like a bubbling pot - we're all just waiting for something big to happen / someone to be attacked etc but it's falling on deaf ears. I don't think he's going to kill me - but I'm just so upset that they are leaving us to suffer.

We have 180+ students, many of them are troubled / have been permanently excluded from school etc who are seeing us treated badly with norepercussions.. it's awful.

I had this when I worked in FE. Big lad threatened me with violence on TWO separate occasions. College did very little. He wasn't suspended, but banned from the centre where I worked for two days, told to write me a note of apology. I got two scribbled lines on a scrap of paper and he actually smirked when he handed it to me.

I wonder what the outcome would have been had I made the threats towards him? I'm thinking I would have been sacked.

And all students in FE have to sign their enrolment forms that state they will be punished accordingly for threatening behaviour. Utter bullshit in my experience.

Also had verbal abuse from adult learners (and a couple of threats there) and witnessed a stack of books thrown at another member of staff. Again, nothing done about it.

Staff in FE are expected to take any shit going because if a student gets excluded the college loses the funding. And the people at the top making the big decisions have very few dealings with the violent, anti-social students the rest of us do.

Those are exactly the circumstances in which there needs to be a robust disciplinary policy- large groups of teenagers who have been permanently excluded are unlikely to have the self-discipline to regulate their own behaviour, so they need a clear set of appropriate rules and consequences.

The other students in the class also need to know where the boundaries are and know that they are safe. A vulnerable or troubled student who witnessed a threat to kill, and then saw the perpetrator accepted virtually straight back into class , is going to have absolutely no confidence that they are going to be kept safe.

I'd go to the police.

Thanks so much for the advice everyone. I have a meeting tomorrow with my managers boss and my union rep.

I'm going to push for the Stage 2 warning, although i doubt they'll back down over it. Student in question has had another verbal warning this week for swearing at a teacher.

I am also going to ask for something to be done about the security of our building - i think we need full time security. Management think we should be policing the corridors ourselves...

Good luck.

At least he's out of your class, but no-one should have to be putting up with this.

The manager decided not to attend.

I've spoken to the Union Rep though and a few of my colleagues have also booked meetings with him. Hopefully we can get things sorted if we pull together.

Thanks again for your advice and support everyone.