How many teachers have been attacked / threatened by students?

[feelingunsupported]

I've been thinking about this a lot over the last few days in light of the sentencing for the murder of Mrs Maguire. I've namechanged for obvious reasons but am a regular - Reasties xmas threads mainly

In my small school this year so far

• teacher's arm jammed in a door. Student made to write a note of apology

-male staff member had to deflect a punch from student. Staff member interviewed by manager for use of force. No comeback on student -student threatened to nut a teacher. Approached teacher looking like he was going to do it. Student suspended for 2 days then back into class -teachers told to fuck off / called cunts etc regularly

The whole of teaching is like politics. Run by the white men in charge, if your face doesn't fit you leave (either through your own choice or life is made so impossible you have to leave) and nepotism is rife.

So why do teachers stay? Because when it works it's the best job in the world and teachers love working with the vast majority of young people they teach.

However, it's getting harder to retain good teachers because this issue is getting worse. I predict in 10 years time we will be at a major crisis point in the profession.

A highly relevant blog by a teacher about "The F*-Off Factor here:
teachingbattleground.wordpress.com/2007/07/27/the-f-off-factor/

herman I totally agree. In my last school it was quite rife with plenty teachers kids of couples in the school also.

The head got wind of the fact that one pupil's parents who ran the local post office were criticising the school behaviour. He instructed the assistant head to lurk in there all the foll owing Saturday morning, take notes of conversation and report back. No way would he tolerate anything that might result result in the truth getting out.

Coolas I'm surprised he never thought of doing that.

I work in primary and have had a table thrown at me, door slammed at me, resources thrown (all same child), violent threats including death threats emailed to me, threatened by a drunken parent, sexually assaulted (top pulled down and breasts grabbed) plus the general day to day nipping, slapping, swearing and biting. I currently work in y1/2 but the more severe were ks2. No action taken at all except the first one, the child was sent to a PRU as he caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to the school. I wasn't even asked if I was ok.
In some of the cases were involving children with SEN or suspected SEN. All in a mainstream school with no additional funding or support.
I knew witnessed 2 members of staff being assaulted by a parent. One wanted to report to the police but was dissuaded by SLT. Her contract wasn't renewed.
I wish this had stayed in chat as the people who post daily about 'the school' and how they are failing their pfb by not wiping their nose or forgetting to change their book or god forbid; striking for better pay and conditions, really need to understand just what we are dealing with.
Apparently 13 weeks holiday and leaving at half 3 is enough to make all of the crap ok.

I think MNHQ should take this up and campaign to highlight the issue. Most people outside teaching simply aren't aware of the levels of violence faced by teachers in school. They're obviously aware of this thread, having moved it to Education.
There's a thread in AIBU at the moment wanting all incidents of violence in primary schools logged, including play fighting. Of course children need to be protected but I'm sitting on my hands stopping myself from suggesting that logging all instances of violence to teachers and not sweeping them under the carpet might be a good idea.
MNHQ could really get behind this and highlight it in the media. Why don't they?

Twenty years ago I was a teaching assistant in a Greek school. I was spat at and threatened with rape. Unfortunately not a new thing and not confined to GB.

I think I was aware that there was violence towards teachers, as I am with nhs staff, bus drivers etc. what I didn't realise was the thing about it being suppressed, pressure on teachers not to report it, blaming teachers and them having to just suck it up and keep facing the same risk without support. Heads actually threatening teachers and using references and networks to prevent them going to the police. That's what's really appalling to me - and also the fact that this behaviour, being done to protect schools' reputations, is actually fostering more violence because the perpetrators know it won't be dealt with.

The country has just been shocked by the murder of a teacher in a classroom. I think this culture of pretending violence and threats don't happen and having no real consequences for them, and kids knowing they can bully and hurt teachers with impunity, makes tragedies like that more likely. There's also the fact that it is forcing good teachers out of the profession and causing huge amounts of stress and trauma for others. There is also a feminist issue if women and especially pregnant women are at particular risk (and that needs to be studied). If bullies target perceived weakness then it stands to reason that a big, stong aggressive man is safest in the classroom. That's deeply unfair and wrong.

These are the angles I think a major MN campaign could take and I can also see this being the kind of thing the Guardian might have a campaign on. And the education secretary should have all this put to them because if this is the consequence of policies on how schools are rated etc., that could be changed.

Plenty of organisations have had a culture of fear, suppressed scandals, or threatened whistleblowers and so on - the catholic church, the scandal with jimmy Savile at the BBC etc , some hospitals and care homes. but people do blow whistles, thing do come out and things do change, once the momentum gets up.

Also this thread suggest there are schools where it is handled well, police on site, zero tolerance attitude. So it is possible.

There is a real issue with cosy management who
A. Don't want to deal with behaviour because it's not easy.
B. Can't deal with behaviour. Without exception, our SMT are teachers who were appalling at classroom management and took the SMT route for an easier life. Most of them are long gone by 4.45 in their clappy cloppy shoes and suits.
C. They don't want their school and the knock-on effect of their status in the league tables, to be affected by newspaper articles suggesting there was violence in their school and will threaten teachers to avoid high-priority scandal.

I went to the press after I left, and enlisted the help of the MP whose constituency the school was in.
This resulted in the vast majority of my former colleagues refusing all contact with me and the head refusing to give me a reference. He also forbade anyone else to give me one. "Over my dead body. She gets no reference from here. She's a troublemaker."
As this was several years ago it seems that this culture of suppression and fear is still alive and kicking. I think Captain raises some excellent points. Whole men are certainly subjected to violence from pupils (after all they can't retaliate) women are certainly more at risk of serious harm.

while... not whole of course!

I had a student throw a chair across the room... during an Ofsted observation lesson. It was a high point of my career!!!

Just this week, three staff in my school have been injured by pupis. It's getting beyond a joke now

Don't forget as well that many teachers are on agency and short term contracts now. If you rock the boat you'll not only not have your contract renewed but the head can use the network to make finding another position very difficult.

What did the Ofsted inspector say in your feedback?!

I understand the fear and how you can't rock the boat. I'm not a teacher and it's easy for me to say this. (And it's because I'm not a teacher that I'm not off to the Guardian with this thread myself - it's not my place but I think one of you should.)

But, that intimidation and bullying of anyone who rocks the boat is itself illegal and part of what needs to be exposed - not just the violence by the kids. Arguably, if kids have free reign to be violent, some will (cf Lord of the Flies).

The problem is the system where schools'/heads' fear for their league table position and reputation is causing them to let violence flourish and teachers (and other kids) suffer. It's not just a problem because it's bad in itself - it's a problem because it could lead to more cases like Ann Maquire, as well as to a serious shortage of teachers.

I'm eight WEEKS into my teacher training. I've been threatened with violence, sworn at, shouted at and generally verbally abused. But I've also seen some students make huge progress. At the moment I'm loving it, and handling the crap. But will it last? I hope so, but I honestly don't know.

I think HTs should spend less time and effort working out ways to sabotage present and past members of staff and more time focusing on their actual jobs.

Every parent should care about the culture of violence and abuse in some schools.

Blaming individual teachers doesn't safeguard pupils (or teachers).

I wish you could have all added what type of school you were attacked in.

I honestly can't imagine it. If this is what kids do to teachers, no way are other children safe. Parents need to know all this.

Knitted - main stream primary in a deprived area.