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 think the governors, having being informed in writing, that this child is a threat to the safety of other children, would at least have to put it on the agenda in a meeting.

What you would be doing is warning them about what might happen, If it does then happen and they had taken no notice of that warning, there could easily be a big stink around them in the aftermath.

I would certainly put my warning in writing to them, to your useless Head and maybe to the Director of Education as well.

How are you going to feel if he blinds another child, let alone yourself, and you hadn't put the authorities on notice?

Yes, he has a right to be educated but your safety and the safety of other children trumps that right by a long way.

Another reason we're losing so many teachers ... they're expected to do the impossible.

Our school is having the same issues, and SLT is useless.

@frami

As someone who works with SEN kids in Secondary schools, this post epitomises the problems in the system. Secondary schools do a great job with kids with additional needs etc but by the time they come into contact with someone like me the damage is done. So many Primary schools are failing to meet their needs. OP's head is unfortunately displaying an all too common reaction among Primary schools, and both children and staff are paying the price.

Primary schools like ours are desperately trying to meet the needs of our children in ks1. Getting any additional support is near on impossible due to waiting lists/ lack of EP time/ currently no speech and language support in our area etc.

Eventually the parents and school navigate their way through the challenging system and the support arrives in year 3/4 but by then the 'damage' is often done.

I have a child who regularly lashes out at me when she becomes disregulated. I am the only adult in the room so the other 29 children lose learning time whilst I work through strategies to support her and prevent other children from being hurt.

The system is really broken and schools - particularly with regards to Send needs - are chronically underfunded.

[quote Needacuppanow]@toppkatz I'm not astounded at all. Primary children can be extremely creative with using everyday objects as weapons. Pencil sharpener blades being one of them. And yet still, it is somehow the teacher's fault. I'm in a fantastic school at the moment, but I havent been in the past. The amount of people that can't believe a primary child can't hurt you; I've become used to it now. It's a shame isn't it.[/quote]
Perhaps I didn't word it very well. I was astounded that other people didn't think that children could be capable of such things, and if they did, then somehow it wasn't their fault, it was the teacher's fault for not controlling them properly.

Union, NOW! Get advice pronto.

In the meantime document everything and follow up any conversations with management with an email to recap, you need the paper trail. Make it very clear what has happened, what you are doing and what you need support with.

Does your employer not need to risk assess in the way that any other workplace would.
The other children must be traumatised by observing this.

How did you get on with union?