AIBU to expect a better response from my manager?

[secretsofthesun]

Primary school teacher here. Yesterday one of my students hurt me to the point that I had to leave school and go to A&E. This is the third time the child has been violent towards me - the first two times were minor in comparison, but after this I've had enough.

Spoken to my head as I no longer feel safe with the child in my class and they have said that the child is fine to remain with me and that I need to find better ways to handle them. I've asked for suggestions for ways to handle them as I'm already following the behaviour policy and the child's specific behaviour plan and been told I "should know what to do". AIBU to expect a better response? This is my second year teaching and first year with a child like this so I'm not sure if I'm expected to suck it up as part of the job.

I'm so sorry this has happened to you OP. I'm a primary teacher who has also been assaulted (and yes that's what it is - an assault) at work more than once. Thankfully never ended up in a&e but through luck more than anything - the threat to "kick that baby out of you" at 8 months pregnant was a particular low point. You can't refuse to teach the child but you can insist on a risk assessment, an additional member of staff or (if none of that works) I'd always be removing myself and my class the minute the child started to become aggressive. This is management's problem to fix. Speak to your union - they'll support you all the way. In Scotland, the EIS would also encourage you to report it to the police (again, this is an assault). Also make sure it is recorded as a violent incident with an injury via official channels (our council has an online system) this makes it harder to brush under the carpet. I'd also be sending an email to my HT detailing the incident and their solution, asking them to confirm this is their advice. Then you have a paper trail.

@secretsofthesun, I think approaching your union is a very good idea. It sounds like your Head has their head in the sand and is ignoring the problem.
If you have any colleagues that you can trust that might be able to register their objections, that would help, and your Head wouldn't be able to ignore it any more.
You have a right to feel safe at work, and the child involved should have a 1-2-1 at the least.
YANBU

Your post regarding the not wanting to send the child home waved red flags at me. There could be more going on here, possibly safeguarding stuff that you, naturally, may not be privy to. However, whatever the reason it is horrendous they are not prioritising safety in you room - yours and indeed the other children’s. Next time it could be one of the children in AandE. This cannot all be put on you to deal with. You have done what any one of us would do in any work situation- asked your boss to make your workplace as safe as possible. If they do nothing that really is a poor show all round and I would be wondering if I really wanted to stay working in a place that would do that.

I'm so sorry that you're having to go through this, OP. It is happening to my primary teacher stepdaughter, too. She is attacked several times a week and her first thought is always for the other children; she will always try to protect them from the violence and disruption. Like you, her headteacher seems powerless. I believe her union are involved already but what can be done? Can she call the police? I worry so much for her.
If this situation is happening in every school up & down the country, it seems no wonder that teachers are leaving in droves and there are recruitment problems.
And just how badly are the other kids in the class being affected?

To posters doubting a primary age child could injure someone badly enough for A & E, I have experience of children throwing chairs (Reception, Y4 and Y5) - at the first sign in the Y5 class, the other children got up and left, speedily but without fuss, through the fire door into the playground. The girl hurled chairs and overturned tables while the teacher stood guard in the doorway until she calmed down.

Another, Y3 child who stabbed both the teacher and TA. The teacher in the back of the hand with a pair of scissors, the TA with a sharp stick. In both cases, proper injuries. After the scissors injury everything sharp had to be removed from the room, and from the other children, hence the stick.
There are some very disturbed and traumatised children.

I'm so sorry - I hope you are ok

I would definitely be going to your Union & take their advice

Please document / keep a diary of it all . I would also suggest you put your concerns in writing to the HT and make sure it includes the incidents so far - there is then a paper trial - your HT sounds appalling

For for those talking about how can a primary school teacher be hurt by a pupil my DS has suffered a lot of trauma in his past prior to adoption - he has not been violent at primary or secondary school or at home however even at primary in later years he was physically stronger than me - if he had been violent I expect I would have ended up in A&E

Scarby9
Are you saying that after the child stabbed two member of staff they were allowed back to that school?

My dc are at a lovely primary in a nice area… there’s still been the time a dc kicked my Dd to the ground and the teacher was injured pulling him away. Dd was aged 4 and child in question was 6. Baffled why some posters are so unaware of reality.

Union is a good place to start and I’d also include the governors. You should feel safe and supported in your workplace.

And people wonder why so many teachers leave the profession so quickly. If someone was violent to me at work I wouldn't be told I should know what to do. I'd get help and support.

Have you checked out the whistleblowing policy at school to follow that? Going to the head of school governors for help? Obviously these would be to deal with the HT lack of action/help/support but would hopefully lead to a plan of action.
Hope you're ok and manage to relax a little this weekend between planning etc

@Peppermint81 one of our pupils at age 8 attacked a family member with an axe, has brought a knife and then a hammer into school. Does this help with your intrigue?

What does senco say. I'm assuming your injuries have been recorded appropriately at the school?

At the least an emergency risk assessment should be carried out.

This is not ok and your head needs to safeguard YOU! Sounds like this child maybe needs a special school, potentially he or she could really harm someone, sounds like he/she already has! You really need to talk to your union and get proper advice.

Rainbowconnection1
And this student still attends the school?

Again I can’t believe (not as in I don’t believe you) the difference between Primaries and secondaries.
A kid brought a knife into a previous school I worked in (and that was a pretty poor school in terms of discipline etc) he showed it to a few kids and made a few general threats to them. We never saw the kid again.

This is absolutely unacceptable.
Some batshit responses on here.
Op speak to your union asap and go on sick, with stress. Stay off until your useless head actually starts respecting you and instilling boundaries with this child.
No wonder teachers are leaving in droves.
Can you look for another teaching post in a better school/area?
You cannot work with such a spineless headteacher, you need to work in a school with strict boundaries, where children know their place. I used to work with a fabulous teacher. Her methods was always to tell the child "You are the child, I am the adult, Mrs X is the adult, you do what the adults at school tell you." She would calmly and quietly say this over and over again until the child agreed. She did not let any behaviour slip ever. If a lunchtime supervisor had trouble with a child then God help them, the child got the same treatment. Told over and over again that children did not make the rules at school, children obeyed the adults at school, at school the adults are in charge. She always played classical music evey morning. That was what the children entered the classroom listening to.
Good luck.

I do wonder if it’s is because of the attitude of some of the posters on here that a small child can never be dangerous….

Gardening Creature
She sounds great but a lot of students would never agree, would just shout ‘fuck you’ and run off. What did she do then?

@Bizawit

This is a primary school child making you feel unsafe and putting you in A&E? I think I’d find it more understandable if they were an older kid..

You are obviously not a teacher if you can't understand the level of violence, wrath and havoc a child from 3 can cause.

This is ridiculous...

Do you have a union? I would make a formal complaint about the school's response.

What are they waiting for? for this child to do you even more physical harm next time or for one of the other children to be hurt by them?

It is completely irresponsible to do nothing and just expect you to handle it. If this child has special needs that make them lash our this needs to be assessed and addressed further for their sake and yours.

Has the child been referred for an EHC needs assessment? Clearly there's some unidentified send.

Meanwhile look up the pda society and try their advice if the head isn't helping you

@Bizawit

This is a primary school child making you feel unsafe and putting you in A&E? I think I’d find it more understandable if they were an older kid..

I ended up inA+E after a small Y3 child decided it would be a good idea to stamp on my foot as I wouldn’t let him be first in line. I had 2 broken toes 😡

@Smileyaxolotl1 yes he's still in school and is a very disturbed boy. There's more I could say about him but so had better not.

I also have a colleague who was bashed in the head with a heavy toy. She was off work for months and still has a dent in her head where she was hit.

Then there's the colleagues who have had to attend A&E after being attacked by a child resulting in neck injuries.

Those saying how much damage can a primary age child have no idea what we regularly deal with.

@Bizawit

This is a primary school child making you feel unsafe and putting you in A&E? I think I’d find it more understandable if they were an older kid..

It doesn't matter how old a kid is (and they can be up to 12 years old in primary, so almost a teenager), they can still hurt/do damage.

Smiley I wrote out a long post but it's disappeared.
Kids run off - leave them. Doors locked teacher and well behaved children crack on with learning. Reasoning was if kid runs away and get a knocked down its their own dault, parents cannot lay blame at staff's feet, no blame no claim. They always came back though, always.
This teacher was old school, shouted at nearly behaved kids, wasn't afraid to really shout in a very stern voice. Let the child know that they had done wrong. I was trained in Team teach and putting it bluntly we didn't fuck about.
The shot had really got the fan of that happened and boy did the child and their parents know about it. The parents would be called into school and told in no uncertain terms that the behaviuor of their child was unacceptable. No niceties. This is what has happened, if it happens again your child will be removed, you will come into school, you will remove your child from school and we will look at exclusion.
The team teach did work. Eventually I would walk into the classroom give an agreed signal to the said child and they left of their own accord because they really did not want to be physically dragged out of the classroom in front of their peers and ensure all that entailed.
This is a very simplified version.
I work elsewhere now.
I can't be doing with all this crap.
I don't have the patience. If someone behaved like this towards me quite frankly I would hit them smack in the face, they wouldn't do it again. I'm passed all this bullshit.
I would not want my dcs to work in a school.

Jessy Christ. No wonder we have the problems in society that we have today when there is absolutely no personal responsibility in place.