Don’t know what to do about TA and her behaviour

[RickOShay]

I work in a primary school in a lowly position. On two separate occasions I have seen a TA manhandle children in Year one, so children of five or six. She pulled one child off the ground by his wrist because he pushed into the queue and another child she pulled back by the hood of her coat when she turned away while the TA was telling her off.
Should I take this further?

@RickOShay then write the essay. You need to get a back bone and stand up for the poor kids. It worries me that people like you are working at a school. You feel sick about reporting a serious safe guarding issue! Really?

Yes really.

With all due respect Peach, this is not a serious safeguarding issue. It isn't acceptable behaviour and should be reported but referring to it as a serious safeguarding issue isn't helpful.

Rick I can understand that reporting it worries you but it does need to be done. Perhaps think of it as speaking to the HT to voice your concerns and discomfort at what you witnessed, rather than thinking of it as 'reporting'.

Well I'm sorry if I witnessed somebody man handling and roughing up a little child I wouldn't care less about their feeling

Thanks Don’t. I think part of th problem is I don’t agree with most of what goes on at lunchtime, I have raised my concerns and have been subjected to a witch hunt, which only stopped because of a change in leadership.
They see me as the enemy within. I just hope I achieve the best possible outcome, but I am not particularly confident of that.

@DontMakeMeShushYou what would you class as safe guarding?

Apart from the bell, what else has been going on at lunchtimes?

Have you had safeguarding training?

Safeguarding

ensuring children grow up with the provision of safe and effective care. taking action to enable all children andyoungpeople to have the best outcomes

@DontMakeMeShushYou
Yes it is a safe guarding issue and the school is failing in this and so is the op if she doesn't stand up and do what is right.

Others may have said this OP but here goes:

Yes, you have to report this. It is child abuse and what starts as a minor thing can escalate in a moment of anger. If this TA lost her temper with a child, what might happen?

You need to report it to the head or the Child Protection Officer (who may be the same person). This needs to be reported ASAP and should really have been reported as soon as you saw it.

If the response you get to reporting it isn't satisfactory you need to continue reporting it until it is resolved to your satisfaction.

I would recommend that you go on your schools website and download their child protection procedure. I think policies normally state that you should go to the head of the governors or the local authority if reporting to the Child Protection Officer doesn't work.

Good luck. It might feel awkward reporting them but you need to think about the next child who might get injured.

No jokes about it, if this was my child I would be contacting the police and my child would tell me about it. I hope these children are telling their parents as the school staff are not protecting them or "worried" about the outcome if they do

I have had similar experiences with a school. How did you cope/deal with it?

I called and spoke to the head after I got his letter. I said that I was concerned about my child being in this TA's class. He told me that she was highly regarded by all members of staff, parents and children and he had no concerns about her conduct whatsoever. He said he felt very uncomfortable listening to me 'accuse' his staff. I told him the dc would not be returning. He then failed to comply with guidelines and didn't inform the LA that I would be home educating my children. I told the LA officer my reasons for deregistering and she told me to leave it with her. I don't know what happened after that.

The TA also wrote me a letter telling me that she did not do what I saw her doing. She told me that my complaint was the first she had ever got in her career and she felt disappointed that I wanted to attack her in this way. She told me that she had training and would never do what I said she did.

I am embarrassed to say that my 5 year old son had told me that she often dragged and pushed the 'naughty' children around but I dismissed him. It was only when I saw it with my own eyes that I reported it right away. My son told me this was in front of the class teacher and she never said anything.

I didn't report it to anyone else. I just deregistered my dc. It was one of a whole list of issues I had with the school and I couldn't face the fight.

@InToMyHeart I totally agree

The way children are spoken to. Distressed children being ignored. Inconsistent responses to behaviour. Inadequate response to challenging behaviour. Not taking what the children are telling them seriously.
Dismissing children’s concerns. Not providing a safe place (emotionally) for children to work through their differences. Not speaking to children with respect. Arbiary rules which benefit no one.

It’s like a Dickens novel

Yes, I have. More to come.

Peach do read what I wrote. I did not say that what the OP saw was not a safeguarding issue. I said it wasn't a serious safeguarding issue. If you insist on referring to every incident as 'serious', it muddies the water. it is important to retain a sense of perspective. Otherwise properly 'serious' safeguarding issues like sexual exploitation or signs of serious physical assault simply get lumped in with everything else and are more likely to be missed.

That isn't to say they shouldn't be reported, nor that they shouldn't be taken seriously. Simply that if you describe every incident as serious there is no attempt to differentiate and direct resources and time appropriately.

Without a doubt though, you will continue to (incorrectly) think that I don't understand what safeguarding is.

Yes it is a safe guarding issue and the school is failing in this and so is the op if she doesn't stand up and do what is right.

No fucking shit, Sherlock! Thanks for repeating back to me exactly what I had already said. Thank goodness you're here or I might have got confused.

Tell head. I've known a child's arm be dislocated by pulling, unintentionally, of course.

You “bottled it” when going to speak to the head but it’s ok for kids to deal,with abuse from a TA? Ok then.

Purple I worked in a school for two years and didn't complete any safeguarding training and I was a cover supervisor and had to deal with a disclosure from a child.

I had done some in the nursery I had been in previously but they were unaware of that.
They also accepted a four year old dbs and didn't send for a new one in the whole time I was there...

Yes I know foofgirl.
I am gathering my resolve

Rickshay if you feel this is systematic and you are getting nowhere then go to Governors or LA.
You can also report to Ofsted or Dfe but they usually won't deal unless you have been through the process of the head, governors etc.
I know someone who whistle blew on a school that locked sen children in a small room alone.

Thanks Doctor. I do feel it is symptomatic of a school that seems to barely tolerate its pupils. I think my reticence is due to the fact that i HAVE spoken about some of the issues that i have already mentioned and not only was nothing done, I felt i was being put into a constructive dismissal situation.

I am a TA, now in a special school. I think this should be documented. Do you know if she has had Team Teach training? If she hasn't, she has no right whatsoever to be involved in restraint.

I've just re read the news report in regards to the case I know about and she rang social services for advice...