Shocked at schools response!!!

[SB02]

After school today I was walking down the road just leading out of the school gates where I witnessed two boys around the age of 7/8 verbally attacking a parent. It was really bad the language coming out of their mouths was absolutely disgusting they also threatened her.

I had to intervene I did wait for a few moments in the hope they would just go away but it was awful so many parents were around and no one spoke up I had to say something.

They were traveller kids (will tell you why I have mentioned this in a second)

I got to the end of this road and these boys went off sweating and threatening me also. The parent went off almost in tears.

I came across one of the teaching assistants from the school and explained to her what had happened. As they were walking out of the local shop I pointed to show her these kids and asked if she could report this to the school. She said ' oh it's pretty normal that's what traveller kids are like'.

I thought whatever she's clearly not going to do anything. So I walked back to the school to inform the deputy head who was still at the school gate. Explained to her what had happened and her reply was not much we can do as it wasn't on school premises!!! Like wtf???

I explained I understood this but they were wearing school uniform and logo was visible doesn't this count? Well no apparently not.

My daughter overheard the boys names and we told her she said she would 'look into it'.

Is that it?? So this behaviour now seems like it's the norm!

I am shocked and disappointed with the ta and deputy heads reaction.

At the risk of being flamed. Yes this is what the traveller children are like that i have come across, although I'm aware there are good and bad in all walks of life. I too am of Romany blood.

The problem is you inform the parents and they are as bad, and likely to kick off at school.
You just have to hope the children learn something positive whilst they are at your school.

I'd be more shocked by a teacher saying 'that's what traveller kids are like' and I'd complain about that. It would not be acceptable to say that about any other minority group so it should not be accepted here.

And i'd be shocked TBH if an adult was almost in tears because 7/8 year olds were mouthing off at them but maybe she was already feeling a bit fragile or something.

The head or deputy head should look into it though and speak to the children involved and involve their parents if that's school policy.

I think it is pretty disgusting the school will not even talk to the offenders. Ignoring this sort of thing actually condones it. A good school with decent values will deal with issues which happen when the children are on their way home and in uniform. It sounds as if the school are so used to terrible behaviour that they have given up. It shouldn't matter that they are traveller kids, they should still be taught how to behave and disciplined like any other pupil.

I've been verbally abused by traveller children and its very unerving. You just can't believe the utter bile that can come out of young children's mouths.

A report of thus nature would absolutely be followed up at my school, with its mostly lovely children and supportive parents.

Unfortunately, like it or not, a school with many traveller children will have so many issues to deal with in school time that there simply won't be time to deal with those from outside school.

What would you have liked the school to do op? What would you expect to happen if you reported it to the police? (which sound more appropriate tbh). Very little the school can do for things outside school without support from the parents, which if dc think this is the way to behave, they're unlikely to get

Tbh I don't know what I want the school to do. My daughter is in reception so this is the first time I have ever experienced something like this. I'm usually quite hard faced, but they even unnerved me slightly it wasn't pleasant at all. Their behaviour was aggressive, no one stepped in while they hurled abuse at this parent.

However I would have expected more of a reaction from the deputy head, I didn't expect her to go into detail on how they would deal with this but some reassurance would have been enough.

Although I didn't take any notice this boy did also threaten myself - well he said he remembered my daughters face and to with out? Idiot. Should they just be allowed to get away with this behaviour?

Of course they shouldn't be allowed to get away with it, but I don't understand why you think the school are placed to deal with it than, say, their parents or the police.

The parents weren't around.

Ok and say I was to call the police? Say what? They threatened us? Then what??

Why on earth would the Police deal with children far below the age of criminal responsibility mouthing off at someone?.

It's a school and family matter if anything.

This happened on the same road as the school just on the outside of the school premises. These pupils are from this school. Yes the teachers should do something about it

Have you ever phoned the police and asked them to deal with something involving travelers? Their response is pretty much the same

I agree school should do something about it. Of course they should!

I'm at secondary and kids wear uniform. If they get into trouble like fights anywhere near school they would be in trouble

That wasy point really hippo. The police wouldn't attempt to "do" anything be it adults or children, so how can a school be expected to?

The school can't exclude them for something that happened outside school. I imagine the school have exhausted all other option for things that have actually happened in school

A quick update. As I walked in through the school gates the head teacher and P.E teacher were waiting for me at the gates to had asked what happened even though the deputy had given them a brief.

They have said under no circumstances now are the kids to leave school without an adult at the end of the day. They also asked me to point out the other parents and they were taking this matter seriously.

Not sure if anything else will be done but I guess it's just good that the school are doing something about it. The parent also hugged me in relief today and explained how her kids were scared stiff and her daughter didn't want to come into school today in fear they were going to get her in the school play ground!

Thanks for update - please to hear that it isn't just being ignored.

If you look at the behaviour or complaints procedure it will state they are responsible for childrens behaviour to and from school. Glad they are doing something at least. Now wait for the parents to turn up ... of they can

Good update. Fair play to the school for taking action.

Not every school takes interest for what happens once kids leave, and it is up to them, of course. Technically, it isn't their fault or responsibility. DS1's current secondary school is very strict on this sort of thing and have systems in place to make it easier to identify 'perpetrators' if they are reported to the school. His last school, also secondary, was a little less so, although to be fair to them they were very keen to know details of how he was being bullied at public bus stops by other pupils (it was ds1's fear of further retaliation that stopped him talking, sadly, despite there being filmed evidence offered by another pupil). I have also noticed an increase in people anonymously 'reporting' bad behaviour by kids from different schools on public facebook pages and local forums (the idea being to shame the perpetrators and the schools, I guess) - can't say I agree with that as it gives the children no say in it, but it’s an example of how nothing goes unseen these days, and schools may increasingly need to be visibly reacting and protecting their reputation .