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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Teacher and student hit

160 replies

Sixpencefaux · 16/07/2022 21:00

Has anybody seen the footage from a Leeds secondary school where a student attacks another student. When the teacher steps in, the student then repeatedly punched the teacher in the face. It really is shocking.

OP posts:
Purtyburty · 16/07/2022 21:41

Bump

BeenThereBoughtTheTeeShirt · 16/07/2022 21:45

No but sadly, am not surprised. Unions protect teachers who wade in and separate/restrain pupils from attacking each other but it comes at a risk of being caught in the crossfire. Happened to me and ended up with two bruises on my arm and very little thanks.p

sst1234 · 16/07/2022 21:58

I’m sure there will be a million and excuses why it’s ‘understandable’ for the pupil to do this. The usual ones being disadvantaged background, SEN, some kind of mental health issue. I mean never the mind the teacher, who simply comes to work to teach but has to manage feral kids behaviour.

How dare children be disciplined and how dare their parents be held to account for their childrens behaviour. Everyone’s a victim nowadays, except the real victims.

Labourious · 17/07/2022 00:29

It's really very common in a lot of schools. In nicer schools it doesn't happen often at all, but in many it happens often and in a hefty chunk it'll happen weekly or so. It's a regular occurrence in the school I teach in - in just one term, I can think of a dozen incidents, one colleague sustained a fracture. I'm pregnant and was placed on leave because the risk assessment determined it's simply not safe.

BellaLab · 17/07/2022 00:38

I haven’t seen it nor would want to. I left teaching last August after bending down to welcome a 5 year old into P1 and they spat in my face. That was the icing on the cake for me and I walked out that day.

Far too many teachers are subjected to awful behaviour from pupils and expected to put up with it.

MardyBumm · 17/07/2022 01:00

It's unfortunately not a rare occurance. I know a teacher who tried to break up a fight and was left paralysed down one side of her body.

Princessoftheuniverse · 17/07/2022 01:22

I know a teacher who grabbed a junior child who had another child on the floor and was kicking him viciously all over his body including his head. . He was threatened by the parents of the aggressor who said they were going to sue him for assaulting their child unless he apologised. Initially he refused but was advised by the union and head to do so because of the disruption to his career if he fought the case. Both the union and the school were prepared to support him but warned him it wasn’t in his best interests.

I also know a young female teacher who left teaching after a primary student attacked her from behind and knocked her to the floor. She was nearly at the end of her second year in the job and left as a result of the attack.

SheSaidHummingbird · 17/07/2022 01:40

Made me go cold and feel really sick.

Florenz · 17/07/2022 01:51

Maybe it was the students first offence but I doubt it. "Inclusion" has a lot to answer for. Schools would be better off taking a "one strike and your out approach". There's no reason to put teachers and other students lives at risk on the one in a million chance that a violent psychopathic kid suddenly reforms.

Bubblesandsqueak1 · 17/07/2022 02:30

Just watched it and it was bad and I hope the shit of a teen gets some serious punishment for it there is no excuse for that type of assault on the other student then the teacher then student again and not once did the teacher hit back which would have been hell to control you natural response

Mumofsend · 17/07/2022 09:09

There's a difference between a horrible attack like this, where the child absolutely should never step foot back in the school again and a much much younger child struggling to adapt to school and lashing out.

My now 7.5year old (Y2) had a miserable first 2 years of school. She has multiple diagnosises and two years of covid hit schooling. We had a few physical incidents where she very clearly had zero clue what had just happened after, let alone any control during. Her teacher described it as "she just isn't there anymore". A lot of work closely with the school and she hasn't had a single incident this entire school year other than a push of a child who pinched her first.

There is a clear difference between that sort of situation and the one in the video and it should never be about making a child untouchable. Children like my DD shouldn't have been slung out like some in this thread have suggested so to some extent there needs to be protection against that but when it's like the child in the video they clearly need a different setting.

rongon · 17/07/2022 09:18

. In nicer schools it doesn't happen often at all, but in many it happens often and in a hefty chunk it'll happen weekly or so.

I teach in a nice, outstanding primary school in a very middle class area with a supportive SLT. It is a weekly occurrence in our school. Mostly children with additional needs attacking staff. Apparently it is the staffs fault for not de-escalating situations.

Threetulips · 17/07/2022 09:20

There’s a huge difference between a parent working with the school and a parent of a child who clearly has no self control, often like the parent or if not, the parent is struggling with the same thing at home.

And there should be more support for teachers who face this everyday and then find the child hasn’t so much as a exclusion, because being sent home is seen as the ‘worst option’ for the child and they are considered safer in school.

And there’s a lack of parents making complaints that would help build a case for the child to get help.

Threetulips · 17/07/2022 09:22

Apparently it is the staffs fault for not de-escalating situations

Or it’s your fault for not anticipating the flying chair would catch you on the head as you didn’t duck quick enough.

Jellycatspyjamas · 17/07/2022 09:46

Inclusion" has a lot to answer for.

I agree with this to some extent, the drive to mainstream pupils and the utter lack of specialist provision for kids with mild to moderate additional support needs means kids are continuously put in learning environments not suitable for them. And teachers end up trying to support kids who just can’t cope with the school environment and who end up withdrawing, lashing out or running.

My DD has complex needs, she just about functions in primary school because the school make adjustments for her but she goes to high school next year. She’s right on the cusp of the criteria for specialist provision - if there’s not space for her she’ll be placed in a mainstream school where she will struggle to cope.

Its not the schools fault, they need to accept the kids placed there, it’s not the teachers fault, they can’t accommodate all
of her needs, but it’s not her fault either. When it all inevitably goes wrong though there will be blame all round depending on perspective. The blame actually lies with whoever decided to reduce specialist provision.

Threetulips · 17/07/2022 11:26

Or there are special units that are almost too late for some kids.

ConsuelaHammock · 17/07/2022 14:21

Fuck me! No teacher should have to get involved in that. Let them fight to the death!

jetadore · 17/07/2022 14:25

ConsuelaHammock · 17/07/2022 14:21

Fuck me! No teacher should have to get involved in that. Let them fight to the death!

Lol yeh, look forward to outrage over a vid of the teacher standing by watching while one kid’s getting whaled on. Literally damned if they do damned if they don’t.

ConsuelaHammock · 17/07/2022 14:29

I wouldn’t put myself in between two fighting teenagers! I hope the kid gets a criminal record for assault.

CanaryShoulderedThorn · 17/07/2022 14:38

My (huge, rugby playing) DS got into trouble at school for retaliating against the class bully. School repeatedly said it was six of one and half a dozen of the other.
Yeah right.
Until the day that the bully started to beat up a pregnant female teacher in front of the class and it was DS who dragged him off, whilst another teacher who could have helped, fled.
The teacher was off for 6 months whilst DS was expected back at school the next day, even though he had experienced months of incidents from this lad, who was and still is a total thug. He is now in prison for stabbing a woman whilst our DS is a nurse.

seven201 · 17/07/2022 14:39

In my old school I physically got between two massive year 11 boys as one of them was choking the other and I thought he might kill him. It was terrifying. I'm only a small woman and was mid 20s. Luckily they didn't go for me in any way. It was down the dead end of a long corridor with no other staff about. One of the leadership had had her arm broken trying to break up a fight too. I left.

sunshnesall · 17/07/2022 15:00

ConsuelaHammock · 17/07/2022 14:21

Fuck me! No teacher should have to get involved in that. Let them fight to the death!

They weren't fighting. A child was being physically attacked and not fighting back. Any normal human being would jump in to defend a child being punched. If your child was being attacked you would want some one to do the same for them.

ScreamingInfidelities · 17/07/2022 15:04

CanaryShoulderedThorn · 17/07/2022 14:38

My (huge, rugby playing) DS got into trouble at school for retaliating against the class bully. School repeatedly said it was six of one and half a dozen of the other.
Yeah right.
Until the day that the bully started to beat up a pregnant female teacher in front of the class and it was DS who dragged him off, whilst another teacher who could have helped, fled.
The teacher was off for 6 months whilst DS was expected back at school the next day, even though he had experienced months of incidents from this lad, who was and still is a total thug. He is now in prison for stabbing a woman whilst our DS is a nurse.

Your DS is a good lad ❤️

GCHeretic · 17/07/2022 15:05

ConsuelaHammock · 17/07/2022 14:21

Fuck me! No teacher should have to get involved in that. Let them fight to the death!

No, no adult should stand by if a child is being assaulted.

DogsAndGin · 17/07/2022 15:07

Florenz · 17/07/2022 01:51

Maybe it was the students first offence but I doubt it. "Inclusion" has a lot to answer for. Schools would be better off taking a "one strike and your out approach". There's no reason to put teachers and other students lives at risk on the one in a million chance that a violent psychopathic kid suddenly reforms.

Absolutely! We were told last week to give detentions for XYZ behaviour, but to alter the punishment after consideration of SEN or pastoral triggers. Every single person has something going on which could trigger them! It’s ludicrous.

We have children in our school who are violent every single day. It’s only when they get to KS2, and they’re big enough to do serious damage, that anyone realises what a huge problem we have on our hands.

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