Is behaviour this bad in all schools now?!

[Growingmyhairout]

I am a supply teacher who's in a long term role but don't think I can deal with it.
I'm in a non core subject which doesn't help, one that pupils find difficult and don't have to do a GCSE in.
I was covering a 2 week sickness in one boys school, but couldn't have done anymore as behaviour was awful.
I'm now at what's been called a very challenging school. However I've walked past some other lessons and all kids are silent pretty much.
I've been here for a few weeks now so the kids know I'm not there just for a day or anything, yet no improvements.
I've been suggested to ring parents but if I did I'd be making 45 calls an evening which there is just not the time to do, especially for £110 a day gross.
I do give detentions, warnings etc. But it doesn't make much difference.
Some kids will just get up and walk out of your lesson when they feel like it. Or kids who aren't even in your lesson will turn up and sit in the room.
Coats on, phones out, earphones in, eating. When I tell them not to, some kids will listen but some will literally just ignore you. Swinging on chairs, shouting across the room, fighting, swearing.
Each lesson I send a few out to other classrooms which helps to an extent.
The worst are cover lessons though, as I'm used for cover as well as my own classes. Cover is an absolute nightmare.
I record everything but don't know what difference it makes.
Throwing things across the room, putting make up on. Answering me back very rudely.
Just all talking loudly and ignoring me. I refuse to shout over them as I've already got a hoarse voice from raising it.
I email heads of year, sometimes they will come in if they're not busy.
Some lessons are alright, but there's an insane level of disrespect.
As I said I've been here a few weeks now, how long is it going to take?
I've got a TA in all lessons which I'm really grateful about, but they don't seem to respect her much either.
We had an ok class this morning once the worst were removed, but had an absolutely horrendous year 7 group. She said she'd never seen a school like it.
I've been offered long-term, part time cover in another school. I'm tempted to go, but I'm thinking what's the point?
It's just going to be the same everywhere isn't it? I'm not expecting kids to sit in absolute silence for 5 hours a day but the behaviour is unacceptable. I'll be trying to speak and many students will just carry on having their own conversation.
I also feel like I'd be letting down the school who've even given me a TA when most other teachers don't get one.
I feel like a failure as a teacher. I think I've been firm but fair, but I don't think I can do this. Is behaviour really this bad in all schools?

As soon as girls started doing as well, then better, than boys in mixed sex schools, people started blaming girls for boys' not doing as well as them.

It's likely that gender stereotyped narratives affect behaviour in boys and girls, but not that boys couldn't learn and behave well if people didn't persist in pedalling these narratives.

My child is in a school which seems to be pretty lawless and dangerous , with failing pastoral care. Since September the amount of violent incidents has ramped up. Communication with the school is practically non existent, and the increasingly evasive head seems preoccupied with managing the renovation of the crumbling building rather than the behaviour of the pupils.
At discussions with the school ( none of the discussed and promised systemic modifications from these meetings ever come to fruition) the staff talk about ‘a lack of resilience’ post covid as justification for everything from bullying to theft and drug dealing on the premises.
The app which is used as a monitoring and progress device is only updated by teachers when there’s an ofsted visit , otherwise they don’t bother.
I’m at the point now of wondering whether to home educate ( therefore stop working and what.. live on benefits or something?) because my child has sky high school anxiety and frequently feigns illness to get out of going. Or exploits the aforementioned IT system by turning up late or hiding from lessons. The school in these incidences are unable to let me know until several hours later that my child wasn’t present.
I despair, and this is one of the better schools in an area with several poor performing alternatives.

I work in a state secondary school. The behaviour you describe would not be tolerated at my school, and SLT and Pastoral are on hand to support if there are issues in a particular class.

Behaviour does not not seem to be bad at my DC's school. However, they have an extremely strict behaviour policy with sanctions for the smallest things. I'm glad behaviour doesn't seem to be bad but my shy, well-behaved DC is in a permanent state of anxiety about "strict" teachers. It's sad that there seems to be no middle ground.

Just to add my school also has an extreme and carefully monitored system for minor uniform indiscretions and the like. Unfortunately it’s the case now that children are more likely to be reprimanded for a bad hairstyle on the grounds, than for violently attacking another student 2 minutes from the premises , while in uniform ("not on school grounds, call the police").

Goodness that sounds absolutely horrific to deal with that every day op.
Can you speak to the head and level with her/him on just how bad things are?
I think the senior management need a full written record of your experience.

My teen dc school is absolutely nothing like this, and the children are polite and respectful in the main. It makes me worry, the dc you describe sound feral.

I would absolutely home ed in your place. The school sounds like it is making your child ill. Can you get a job working from home and enrol your dc with on line school and local lessons. Mainly lessons are offered in our local area, and we have a thriving home ed society that seem pretty supportive and kind.

I would never send my dc to a school, my school experience sounds similar to the one you describe and it was beyond damaging, and you had to fully change as a person just to survive. Nothing to do with education just an intimidating and frightening atmosphere even when it is not directed at you. Your child willl be living constantly in a fight or flight mode, and this is very very bad for their physical health, including very poor mental health problems.

Doing supply is notoriously difficult but if you can get through it then you’ll find managing behaviour as a full time teacher really easy.

If you don’t want a FT teaching job right now (I wouldn’t blame you) then I would look for a cover supervisor job which is based in one school.

It makes a massive difference knowing the school and behaviour policy and you’ll pick up the students names quickly, which is so important for behaviour management.

I’m at the point now of wondering whether to home educate ( therefore stop working and what.. live on benefits or something?) because my child has sky high school anxiety and frequently feigns illness to get out of going.

I’m not a massive fan of home schooling but I do think in your case I’d seriously consider it.

I would look into him moving schools first and then if not look into home school.

The major issue is that you cannot just quit your job and go on benefits.
If you do do this then you need to have regular meetings in the job centre and you need to be actively looking for work and they will make you work for free else they can stop your money.

An alternative might be to look for an evening job or WFH job so you can do both.

It seems odd the school doesn’t ban phones and food in the classroom for a start.

It sounds terrible for you, and for the children.

@ScrollingLeaves

I would presume phones and food were banned it’s just the kids aren’t cooperating with that.

All of the behaviour you mention was going on in a supposedly 'good' school when I worked there 15 years ago. It's nothing new but it is wrong.

Honestly, it’s not like that in all schools but I left one that was like that because of the behaviour. Where I am now is nothing like that. If I were you, I’d look for a different school and tell the agency how awful it has been at the current place.

*DarkKarmaIlama · Today 18:43
I would presume phones and food were banned it’s just the kids aren’t cooperating with that.

Surely a school couldn’t presume they will voluntarily co-operate. Waiting for voluntary co-operation isn’t banning.

They could be confiscated till the end of the day if the child brings them out.

I started teaching back in the 70s in a London school. Chairs flung out of windows, swearing students, refusal to work, fights etc SMT support consisted of caning boys if you sent them with a note! But there were great times too. Stick with it and start noticing your pupils as people.

Guardian article about restricting phones.

www.theguardian.com/society/2022/mar/12/restrict-phones-to-improve-child-social-mobility-in-uk-says-commission-chair

Goingforarun · Today 18:54
I started teaching back in the 70s in a London school. Chairs flung out of windows, swearing students, refusal to work, fights etc SMT support consisted of caning boys if you sent them with a note! But there were great times too. Stick with it and start noticing your pupils as people.

Your post reminds me of that lovely film with Sydney Poitier (and Lulu!), Please Sir.
To get to know pupils better as people though, OP would need to leave supply and hope it will be better in a permanent job.

@Goingforarun

Do you still teach now? I’m not sure your advice is all that helpful. There are many teachers who treat their pupils as “people” and still put up with abuse day in, day out. I guess they don’t have the cane at their disposal these days 🫤.

Have you considered teaching in special needs schools for the more severe needs? It might be challenging, but also rewarding and at least the children aren’t the nasty pieces of work you describe here.

I'm not a teacher, but I sent my daughter this year to a school with a previously "rough" reputation. I was swayed to choose this school since they got a new principal just before covid and its honestly like a totally new school. They take a hard lime on discipline with colour card offensives. We have an online parents dashboard where you can view your child's profile, update info. View end of month grades, attendance, late cautions, and teacher comments. This is regularly updated, so much so I have the portal tab opened and logged in on chrome all the time so I can check it in evenings to see if there are any comments from teachers, I'm lucky she's only recieved positive feedback so far, but I like knowing that if she did misbehave in class that I won't be kept out of the loop and can deal with it immediately. I would be mortified if my child behaved so horribly. Does your school have anything similar? Obviously calling all parents is a rubbish.

As I meant to imply - the cane didn’t help at all. Yes a permanent job can help. But if this place is really getting you down I would just leave that’s the glory of being a supply teacher.

It’s 30+ years since I was in school. I went to a state school in a mixed demographic area. The behaviour was appalling. Kids talking back, throwing compasses, jumping out of windows, skiving, teachers shouting, throwing things and doling out torture punishments and punching the older boys if they misbehaved.

Behaviour in my school can be like that for cover and new teachers, they arent like that for me but Ive been there forever and I think that helps. My DDs school is a mile away with the same demographic of students but she says behaviour is not like that in her school apart from a very small group of people so the school matters too.

It's all very Season 4 of The Wire (UK usually never far behind the US in terms of social problems).

Sounds like my class in 1980-83..utter chaos. The poor teacher didn't stand a chance. Occasionally, a HOY would appear. If they caught the offenders, it subsided for a while (boys taken out onto the field and caned in view of overlooking classes. Girls caned in office) invariably it started again next half term.

It ended up with a teacher letting them get on with it and teaching those of us wanting to learn around a table in a small group. The main offenders would have been better off leaving at 14 and working/ apprenticeship rather than being forced into staying at school.