Bad Behaviour

[Msbluebozooka]

Help i'm at my wits end my DD is who has just turned 7 is sharing a class with child with learning difficulties. Now this is'nt the problem all the parents and children can deal with this but what we can't deal with is he is dangerous! Eg stabbing hr in month with pencil, smacking friend with rulers, stabbing friend in the back with ruler, hitting children with wooded bricks! to name but a few. This has been going on since reception all the head can say is its being dealt with.Oh yes the teaching assistant is never in the classroom as she is always with this child.
I dont what it to look like a witch hunt but in my eyes its gone too far.

You need to complain every time there?s an incident involving your DD, ask the school about their safeguarding policies. Or if your DD is scared to go to school because of this boy then the school need to know about that too. But you can?t complain about incidents with other kids and not your DD, it?s up to their own parents to complain and you?re right it will look like a witch hunt if you get involved.

Also you can?t complain directly about the TA taking this boy out of the classroom, the reasons why she isn?t in the classroom aren?t the other parents? business if you see what I mean, and if you blame this boy or any other individual then that will also say witch-hunt. But you can complain about the effect on your DD?s education - so if your DD needs extra help that she isn?t getting, or if the class is badly run because the TA is never there when she?s needed, then do complain about that. The teacher may need another TA and complaints from parents may help her get one!

Also do double check anything your DD tells you if it doesn?t involve her directly. I?m afraid I told my mother a whole bunch of made-up tales about dreadful things the two ?naughty boys? in the class did when I was that age, because it was more exciting than telling her what really happened in school!

Hope you get something sorted out.

Thank you for getting back to me , it does sound like a witch hunt but we are all a bit concerned that instead of being stabbed in the mouth with a pencil it could have been her eye. Its come to the point where we are having to take photographs of the cuts and bruisers.But you have made a point that hasn't even occur to me is the safeguarding policies.

Be aware that you hearing all this third hand from dd and other young children? I'm not saying it isn't happening, but sometimes things can get lost in translation. The word 'stab' for instance conjures up the idea that a child is loose with a knife .. you can't 'stab' someone with a ruler The issue here is what are the school to do? What outcome do you and the other parents ultimately want to see happen? Is the T/A assigned to this little boy only? .. he may have a statement of special educational needs and she comes with that statement to support him.

Thats what he needs a statement but nobody has mentioned one.The TA is for our children and to be honest a the pencil did cut threw the skin.Nothing is lost is translation , one parent who works as a child support worker thinks he needs more support for the safety of all the children, but your right i don't actually know what I want to happen and achieve I just don't approve of this abuse in the classroom I'm worried that it could have been more serious,and why should our children have to put up with it.

Nobody would mention a statement as that is, quite frankly, none of your business.

You have every right to complain about your child being injured and not feeling safe in the classroom. If you have raised it with the teacher and it has not been addressed raise it with the Head. If the Head doesn't respond appropriately write to the Chair of Governors.

Your concern can only be about the safety and well-being of your own child and whether the school is abiding by its own safeguarding policy.

Do you have a copy of the policy? It may be available on the school website.

Also, how do you know how the TA's hours are allocated?

When my DD was given a statement the hours were met by allocating them from the existing class TA time. Not great but the Head had the right to do that.

It may be that the class wouldn't have a full time TA if it were not for this child's additional needs. It depends on the ratios.

Your child has to put up with it because every child has the right to an education and reach their potential in a system that is highly structured, lacks innovation and target driven. Class sizes are way too big and teachers and their T/As are bogged under with assessment paperwork and trying to educate whilst operating crowd control ...in an ideal world, this child would be educated in an appropriate environment, but instead he is probably suffering extreme anxiety every day in a system that is not set up to cater for his needs. He is still very young so it will probably be sometime before adequate provisions are put into place to help him and the rest of his class, if at all .. sad but true.

I have other children at the school and the TA has been in that class for years she is not there for this child. No I agree it is'nt my business if this child has a statement but i think it would be better for everyone if he did then when the TA is'nt around he isn't hitting out when he's frustrated and he would have his own full time TA.
The whole point of this is the concern and safety of my DA put yourself in my shoes and if your child came home with bites, scratches, pencil marks on the face what would you do be honest.

MadameSin you are so right and thinking about it there is nothing we can do if the boot was on the other foot i would be so stressed out. Its so upsetting though.When all said and done we will just have to put up with it sad but true.

No. You absolutely do not have to put up with it and your DD does not either.

The school has a responsibility to safeguard your DD and the child who has hurt her. They are currently not doing this.

Like I said in my previous post. Raise it with the Head Teacher and the the Chair of Governors. Ask them to explain how they are implementing their safeguarding policy in respect to your DD in order that she can be in the classroom free from fear and risk of injury.

The likely response would be to allocate more TA time to supporting this child. School budgets are unlikely to allow for an additional TA to be employed as most of the hours allocated to the child would have to be met from within existing budgets. However if this child is better supervised and his needs met more effectively your DD and the other children in the class would be safer.

These days a statement isn't a ticket to buckets of extra money but that isn't your problem. Your responsibility is to raise the issue and require that adequate measures are in place to keep your DD safe.

Thank you for your replies this has helped, and i will ask the Chair of Governors what the policy is.