1 in 5 teachers hit by a pupil

[MrsMurphyIWish]

AIBU to think it’s a low as that?

The worst encounter I have had is being pushed down the stairs when I was heavily pregnant with DS - luckily I grabbed the railing, however I was still expected to teach the boy. (He didn’t even get a detention). I teach in a different school now but swearing, general contempt (from some pupils), threats are still common. No physical violence though.

I put up with it as I’m in the money trap and waiting for mortgage to be paid off so I can escape but in’s worry if this doesn’t change we’ll have an endless cycle of ECTs who leave after a few years, continued missed recruitment targets, and behaviour will get even worse!

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-68674568 - * (post edited at OP's request to add link to BBC news site)

I have never personally been hit or assaulted in any way during my 25 years primary teaching. I do teach younger children though and am quite stocky so maybe that has been why. I have witnessed children attack their LSAs by punching, kicking, biting etc. Then SLT get involved and take the child off. The next thing is they are getting to play basketball with a male teacher while the LSA has to watch after filling in the injury form.

Someone said earlier that we are training abusers and I do worry that this is the case. Yes these children have experienced trauma of some kind in their lives and often DV but they are learning that if they are really violent they get a treat and the person they have abused has to watch them get that treat.

Oh and now we get children shouting 'I'm angry!' When they don't want to be in class doing any kind of work. Then what happens? Usually Lego, or an iPad, or my favourite, 'Let's go and bounce on the trampoline to get some of that energy out.'

I honestly feel so sorry for the other children witnessing this. Some who see that violence gets rewards so starting behaving in the same way or those who spend their school days honestly terrified of the noise and flying chairs, pencil pots and other classroom equipment.

Exactly my point in another thread. Look beyond the behaviour when it presents to get support/medication in place before they get have such an impact on others or get excluded. It’s all wrong and unacceptable. What is it going to lead to charge? I dread to think.

I agree he shouldn’t be in a regular school with other children and teachers who could also fall victim. Not ok.

You can report him, nothing will happen - it would already have been reported as it is a serious life changing injury.

I completely agree. When we teach children that it’s just fine to attack someone in a position of authority then what hope does a future partner have.

Yes of course current teachers are responsible for the crimes of past teachers.

so you believe people should pay the price for sins that arent theirs? there is no such thing as karma otherwise people wouldnt be born into war or poverty

is there lead in your drinking water

wonderingwhatlifemeans: "Someone said earlier that we are training abusers and I do worry that this is the case. Yes these children have experienced trauma of some kind in their lives and often DV but they are learning that if they are really violent they get a treat and the person they have abused has to watch them get that treat."
I see this sort of thinking from a lot of the older TA's I work with. Middle aged, middle class mums who started the job when it was just washing out paint pots and were doing it for convenience and pin money. Now I know I'm stereotyping a bit, but they refuse to accept that the job has changed, they refuse to do any positive handling training (which is mostly about de-escalation and how to avoid holds) have no interest in changing their approach or mindset even when it causes the problems but worse of all, they take it personally.
Any adult working in schools that thinks a traumatised child should be further punished instead of being shown love and care needs to give their head a wobble. They're not being taught that violence works, teachers are trying to show them that there is a better way.

The unprovoked teacher bashing here is absolutely insane, love to see people who think they can do my job better than me but probably wouldn't even survive the PGCE which has a 50% drop-out rate.

@Westernesse
Spot on. 👏

Ex teacher here.
I think primary schools are , to a point, expected to put up with stuff that secondary won't stand for. My dh is a ht at primary school. Every year they wonder how long some of the y6 kids will last at secondary, often only days

For kids with SEND/ND we are TOTALLY failing them. These kids are not being assessed (easily 3yrs wait) so rarely get the correct support, but are still expected to be in school and expected to cope, and when they can't, teaching/school staff are in the firing line!

BTW From personal experience as a carer I have witnessed several senior leaders (from the same 'good' secondary school) talk to kids like they're crap. Teaching staff on the whole were great but for the leaders it seemed to be power/control situation.
I WILL back the school if the kids misbehave. BUT I will also call out the school if I feel THEY are not doing /behaving as they should be. Kids are accountable and staff are accountable.

In a thread where pregnant woman have documented that they have been punched in the stomach or pushed down the stairs or where a pp has described how her colleague has suffered a life changing brain injury, you want to mention karma?

I won’t tut at you. I will tell you that your post is disgusting.

Your comment is clearly despicable as well as stupid.

One of my teachers was a bullying asshat, so my being punched in the stomach by a pupil 30 yrs later was karma? No response required.

The school system as it stands now is just not fit for purpose anymore... its a victorian system of industrial child storage, and it isn't meeting anyone's needs anymore. If we were designing schools from the ground up now, we'd never start by putting 30 children in one room all day, it's madness!
Schools are underfunded pressure cookers, with underpaid overworked staff, and stressed unhappy children. Attendance rates are plummeting, as children who can vote with their feet, and teachers are doing the same.
But it's easier to blame parents, or leadership, or SEN, than think about changing the status quo!

Not great for recruitment

I’m surprised it’s as low as 1 in 5 to be honest. It also doesn’t capture all the incidents. I’m SLT in a very challenging school. We have a very strong stance on violence against any staff (not just teachers). I’ve been injured multiple times this academic year in separate incidents. I only count as 1 in 5 but it’s not just once I’ve been hit. I apologise if this doesn’t make much sense - it’s the end of a long term and the wine is open!

I only count as 1 in 5 but it’s not just once I’ve been hit. I apologise if this doesn’t make much sense - it’s the end of a long term and the wine is open!

It makes sense to me and is also another point that needs to be considered. Like you say you count as 1/5, but the unfortunate reality is you could easily have been hit multiple times within the last year.

That is a good point. If one teacher is assaulted 20 times in a year that’s going to look much better on these stats than 10 teachers being assaulted once

How utterly heart breaking!
Could your friend take his parents to court? I would.
this child is a danger to everyone around him including his friends.

Aye, that’s exactly what I was saying. Well done.

I’m sorry for all of us who have experienced assaults and those of you who continue to do so.

I really don’t know what can be done to change circumstances in schools. Gillian Keegan publicly stated that she would have punched an Ofsted inspector so when our own Education minister advocated violence, what hope have we got.

You said you have a strong stance on violence - what happened when you’ve been injured? Pupil suspended, police involved, meetings with parents and governors?

She said she didn’t have any sympathy because the teachers she had were bad to her. Well done yourself.