To think that teachers need more training for coping with violent/ SEN children

[ReallyTired]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-29111528

Clearly a distress child should not have been locked in a room. However I can see how it could have happened. I feel that better training could have helped these teachers deal with a diffciult situation better.

For example training teachers in how to restrain a child safely, descalation techniques and improving communication skills would help. A school always has the option of calling the police for an out of control child.

The core problem is lack of cash and lack of will

That's it in a nutshell. Inadequate training, under-staffed, too many children per class, and at times teachers who don't give a stuff about the children they're working with (not all, I hasten to add - there are some excellent teachers out there who DO go the extra mile) so they need to be rooted out. Employ only those capable of doing the job in all its forms.

Education needs a bigger budget to provide the resources to meet everyone's needs - children with SEN, those without, and the teaching staff who have to work in impossible conditions every day.

As a teacher I've recently signed a Code of Conduct agreement to say that I will not touch a child or bar their entry or exit and to let them go. In a previous career as a carer to children with SLD we used careful restraint but had training, a lot. If mainstream education requires staff to be trained and use restraint I think it's time to change careers.

It is possible to have sympathy for both teachers, the offending child and other children in the classroom. It is not always an answer to send a child to special school where they may well be out of sight out of mind but are not educated suitably.

I feel that descalation training is essential for anyone who works in a school. Being vigilant so that these situations do not occur in the first place is essential.

Often what is good for SEN kids is good practice generally.

'Often what is good for SEN kids is good practice generally.'

Amen to that.

Typically developing children can usually survive poor teaching practice, especially if it is just the odd year. Many children with SEN cannot.

Yes this is true. However we desperately need the appropriate level of support in the classroom. I have 22 kids. 1 has a full time 1:1. He can't be without an adult at anytime. When she has her break and lunch, no one covers. So I have to effectively stop teaching to cover him. I leave 8 children with EAL, 2 who are waiting for ADHD/ASD and several with complex emotional problems to work independently. And then we wonder why they kick off/ things escalate?

Totally agree that most children benefit from the strategies you may use for a specific child eg, a child with ADHD who is inattentive needs short clear instructions. Most children will benefit from this but it's not bloody good enough that children don't get the help they need and are entitled to.

Hi, I'm new to Mumsnet but I came across this tread and had to add my thoughts.
I am a Child Behavioral Psychologist. A Governor of a SEN School. I also teach Adults Behavioral management techniques (accredited by BILD). (Not Team teach) No PI's
Firstly, and I know this will upset a lot of teachers out there, but most do not have enough training to be using Physical Interventions. Though they often think they have.
Secondly behavior is a communication. Understand what your Child is telling you.
There are four reasons for behaviors.
1 Attention.
2 Tangible
3 Sensory
4 Avoidance

Start talking avoid touching.

I think people are very quick to blame teachers. Not just parents of SN children, but parents in general. I have every sympathy for teachers dealing with competing needs and large classes

I am a lunch time supervisor and have had team teach training. I hope it is something I will never need to use . we have children that receive one to one in class for behavioural issues but they are sent out a lunchtime with none. We struggle some days with this. It's not just the teaching staff that need support we also need it.

I do feel sorry for teachers, to deal with a classroom full of children and then be expected to now be trained on this too.

Teachers in a mainstream school shouldn't need training on how to deal with violent children. Children who might need restraining need to be in special school which can meet their needs and support them properly.

Exactly.
Teachers are there to teach
If a child is that violent, they shouldn't be in a mainstream school.
It's not fair on the staff or the other children.

this thread is over a year old.(I am even on it under an old name)

I would personally like to be properly trained in de-escalation techniques, but I do think that blaming the teacher for the pupil's behaviour isn't always fair.

This.

Blaming the school is often, sadly, the default setting for some parents.
A lot of behavior techniques and calming strategies should be being taught at home and then there should be strong liaison with the school to ensure that the child's needs and anger management issues are consistent with what's being taught at home.

You can't leave it all up to the school.

Another zombie thread?

I don't blame that teacher one little bit, she was obviously scared for her life, and yes 10 year olds are capable or serious harm, some are very tall and quite overbearing, tbh it is not within her remit to restrain a pupil like that, the Police should have been called. A small 7 year old girl, broke the TA wrist in my dd specialist school, my friends ds who is 8 and goes to PRU being investigated for ASD, has gotten knives and threatened his parents, and was violent and aggressive at his previous mainstream school.