To report this? What would happen?

[inbedalready]

I work with children in a school, and within earshot of pupils, a colleague called her husband a f*** c...

I was shocked, horrified, don't know what to do. She shouted it 3 times. I don't think kids heard. What will happen to her if I report it?

If it was heard in the office, everyone would be gossiping about it for weeks! It would almost certainly go to HR.

I’d love if all the posters who replied to this thread had to state whether or not they are teachers themselves. The answers are skewed otherwise as MN attracts vast numbers of teachers who jump on every thread that mentions school.

Bluepetergarden

Have you heard how teens speak ?
Exactly, and they need to start learning it’s not ok. I used to work in a shop where kids as young as 6 would come in and give derogatory comments. We’d say to all of them, you use language like that you’re barred- you won’t be able to buy sweets here anymore. They’d tell us to eff off, we’d say it again, after a while there was no language from them. We’d ask them really innocent stuff, you going to the playground, what’s your favourite thing? Are you playing football? I know a number of their families, is and school were probably the only place they didn’t hear cursing and derogatory remarks as a normal thing. Everyone should normalise more positive speaking and try to get all of this out of society (I know that sounds eye rolly but it’s true!)

Edited to add ironically I’ve told my teenager to stop saying the f word twice in the last hour🙈

my kids are older teens and i work in same school so i would find it highly amusing

seriously ? The context is immaterial, using those words within a school are the issue.

I might be more inclined to check that her husband was OK ...

Am amazed at those saying the kids won't have heard anything they didn't already know. I'm sure they'd be reprimanded for it, so of course the person who is meant to be guiding them and setting an example should be too.

They probably learnt the words from the kids.😀
Tell them the walls are thin, & you overheard them.

My guess is he was caught banging the trainee PE teacher again and she’s rightly pissed off.
Mind your own business and loosen grip on those pearls before you strangle yourself

I wouldn't say anything

Have you thought about the possibility that maybe he is a fu— g c—t? Maybe she’s at the end of her tether with this guy, maybe he’s an abuser god knows the situation but to tell your manager for this one off when you don’t know the full story is not cool. Like someone said above a letter to her letting her know “walls are thin” is suffice. If the rows with husband were an ongoing thing yes, do report it.

What is with all the people on here so keen to report everyone else for every tiny thing?

You want to report a couple arguing on the last day of term, after school had finished, when they were in a room by themselves and presumably thought no one could hear them? And you don't think any kids did heard, because they were being rowdy waiting for the bus (in a completely different place from the couple arguing).

Personally I wouldn't do a thing. If it bothered you that much, I would probably have a quiet word with your colleague, mentioning that the walls are quite thin, so others are able to overhear private conversations.

Nicola? Is that you proving your support for the new Stasi legislation in Scotland?

@Globules don't be so absolutely ridiculous.
I've worked in safeguarding for many years so the little nspcc snippet of information utterly irrelevant to this case isn't needed thanks.
The children weren't there. It was the end of the day. This was not appropriate but would not have caused any harm to any of the children. There is no safeguarding issue whatsoever.
And to add to this absolute bull sh@t now posters are asserting he is a terrible husband and that's why he was being swore at 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

So if you hear a man yelling at his wife that's she's a f-ing c the first thing you're going to think is 'oh well she could be a nightmare'

I too have worked in safeguarding in schools for many years.

The OPs posts make it clear that the children were in earshot and would have heard if they'd been tuned in. You need to go back and read the posts.

If you read the NSPCC link it's a helpful laymans guide about what constitutes a low level concern. Breach of code of conduct is one of them. That is what's occurred here.

I'm sure an investigation wouldn't yield anything, bar a conversation between the line manager and the staff involved, but it definitely needs reporting.

If you think that professionals, who are employed by the school, swearing where children could hear is not a safeguarding issue, I suggest you discuss that with your manager, as you need some retraining.

He could be an abuser, she could be a nightmare… I don’t know these people so don’t know the story hence the reason I suggested the OP to operate with caution if it’s a one off.

No it's not a safeguarding issue. It's a professionalism issue. No child is going to come to harm from hearing a swear word . Have a word with yourself where do you work? Cloud cuckoo land?

That was an April's fool story right ? If not : The conversation was about sex. Spill the beans op. You were not shocked by 2 words.
The guy might be a real fucking cunt because he want his wife to make a scene in the workplace, ie get fired, because he is shagging in the workplace. Very simple solution to the problem.
The third option is they just had a crazy news and she is in shock and her husband is not the actual fucking cunt. You know nothing. You should confront her before you do anything.

Your username in the context of this thread made me chuckle however should prob be cunt instead of bastard

😉

Seriously, why on earth do you want to report her? Something really serious could be going on between them. You don't think the kids heard. Why are you unable to have a quiet word and say is everything OK, you heard raised voices?

Wouldn't your first option be to address them immediately to warn them of children close by?

If no one heard but you then don’t report, just have a word with one or both of them and explain what you heard. Probably be enough for it not to happen again.

I was shocked, horrified, don't know what to do.

How the hell would you deal with a serious incident or disclosure then?

I am surprised so many posters are completely blasé about someone overhearing a spouse using abusive language.

Yes, it would be shocking for many of us.

Teacher.

We all swear at school. Out of earshot of the students.

The OP says the students "must have been in earshot" "would have been able to hear" and then "didn't hear" (twice) as it was the end of the day and the kids were all in the process of leaving the building.

The OP also says she doesn't know the colleague. And namechanged, or joined MN to make the post.

I'd say this is 99.99% a teacher bashing froth thread and 0.01% likely to have happened. Particularly as it happened some time ago and the OP only decided to think about "reporting" it late last night.