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

Oh god, that link... I'm livid!

I need some help - I started the thread because of an incident in my classroom. I went off sick on Wednesday on union advice but I feel like a total fraud. I'm not ill - just the thought of going to work makes me feel sick atm. Do I go in tomorrow? My poor colleagues are covering and I feel bad for them. If I don't go in I'm going to need a sick note - but how do I get one if I'm not actually sick? I've NEVER had a sick note and don't even know how to ask for it. I know thia sounds ridiculous - I'm a grown woman ffs. I know I'm rambling on but I'm really worried about it and tomorrow is looming fast.

There are plenty of posts on here bemoaning the lack of training teachers have in dealing with sen and I think there's a lot of truth in that. Some pupils however are simply violent because they want to be and they know they can get away with it. That's not the teacher's fault. I remember being told by a Year 8 pupil :
"Teachers can't control us. The police can't control us. Our parents can't control us. We know who's in charge. And it isn't you. "

See your GP. They will have seen many teachers before. You need to take care of yourself and give yourself time. Mine was fabulous when I was in a similar position and I really think he saved me. He signed me off for five months in all and totally understood. It is difficult but your colleagues are not your responsibility.

Make sure your sick note includes the fact that your absence is due to anxiety as a result of a work related injury. That's really important.

Eventually what I suffered in my last school resulted in my admission to a psychiatric ward and undergoing ECT. Without my GP I wouldn't be alive today.

sooty I'm so sorry that it got to that stage

Thanks... it was a horrible experience at the time but I've come out of it OK. I hope you do too.

Maybe (as a long-term solution) each child should have a behaviour diary from the start of school where all incidents are logged. (Even better if each classroom had CCTV so that no one could claim teachers were making it up etc.) Kids would know that every incident went on their record and it could be taken into account when it came to applying for 6th form, later courses and jobs, and would form part of their report. It could even be a qualification - there could be a certificate of respect for others and ability to behave. (Taking SEN into account) It could also be used if and when a school did decide to involve police. The record would also show when someone managed to turn it around and stop being abusive, so for example a period of bad behaviour at 13 followed by being OK 14-18 would reflect well on them.

Obviously that would require a lot of organisation and change itself, and the culture of pretending it doesn't happen would have to change, so I realise this is just musings. But it would put the responsibility back on the individual and give them consequences they could understand.

That's a bloody brilliant idea, Captain!

I like this

But it would put the responsibility back on the individual and give them consequences they could understand.

Captain. when you say incidents, what level of incident are you saying should be recorded. It would be totally unfair on (SEN) students for instance if every time a student spoke at the wrong time, or made an inappropriate comment for it to be recorded. The other problem could be if a teacher takes a dis -like to a particular student they could end writing some-thing about the pupil every lesson.

It could though be a very good idea, but surely every single detention or every bit of silly behaviour should not be recorded in the diary.

I used to teach in London. I had my finger broken by a student. The Deputy tries to get me to admit it was unintentional but I pushed it and said that I would call the police if they didn't deal with it, so they did - student was permanently excluded. Same school, a member of SLT was beaten up by some year 11s at break time. That time, they did involve the police. It didn't stop the teacher from leaving the profession though.

Current school - nothing close. A parent bad-mouthed me on Facebook last summer after her DD walked out of her practical exam and I had the audacity to call home to try to get her back in. Another parent alerted the school to the Facebook posts. I was advised (by SLT) to contact the police, which I did. I have absolutely no doubt where the support of my SLT lies and that makes a huge difference.

The log already exists in schools where they have SIMS, but teachers are intermittent and inconsistent about recording incidents, because each log has to have a resolution, so it is often easier not to record it. The problem then is that is there is no record to present to parents when they are summoned in to a meeting.

smokepole FFS, your attitude encapsulates a large part of what's wrong between teachers and parents. If you really think that teachers have the time, energy or desire to single out particular pupils to "dislike" then you really don't understand what they do at all. If a kid thinks a particular teacher "dislikes" them, it's usually because that kid behaves like a little shit at school and spouts that nonsense at their parents to justify their behaviour. Sad really that the parents are willing to believe guff about "personality clashes" and teachers disliking particular pupils.

When you're teaching a class of 25 or 30, all you want as a teacher is for the kids to get on and do the work they're asked to do without disrupting the other pupils. It would be unbelievably inappropriate to have any more of a relationship with the pupils than that of expecting them to get their bloody work done.

Obviously you couldn't log every tiny thing, and I said making allowances for SEN.

I'm just thinking aloud, I haven't planned for every detail and practicality!

Apologies, but I read a link on the Sunday times-do teachers really only get 6 weeks of training? Surely that doesn't mean for the whole degree/course? Sorry, just very confused.

Teach First is only 6 weeks, usual route via a PGCE or BA has a year in schools.

Teach First also do a year-long PGCE. They have six weeks of training in the summer, before starting in school in September but that's just to get them 'classroom ready' because Teach First is an employment based route in which the trainees are not supernumerary. They undergo the usual training (under the supervision of University tutors) to reach the Qualified Teacher Standards throughout the course of the year, just like everyone else.

All ITT routes require a minimum of 120 days in school. The training route has very little to do with it, imho.

Really sooty? I'm really confused. My union rep told me to go off but a df who is a union rep in the nhs said not to go off with 'stress' or anything on the sicknote as they might vies it as a weakness to 'get me' on.

I'm totally stressed over it. I literally have no idea what I'm going to say when / if I ring in tomorrow or what I'll say to a gp if I can get an appointment.

I know that I sound pathetic but I've been teaching for 14 years and never ever thought I'd feel like this :-(

Some things from various schools that I have taught in:-

Lists of pupils that you do not stay in the same classroom with on a 1-2-1 basis.
Lists of pupils that do not do after school detentions (parents don't like it)
Lists of parents that should never be contacted by teachers, only one member of SLT.
Lists of parents that you do not meet (1-2-1).
Lists of parents that when they contact you, the message should be sent straight to your DoL, SLT and HT.

I have been sworn at, spat at, had bottles thrown at me, Been hit (puched and kicked),bitten and had to dodge furniture.

Then there is the verbal stuff.

The thing is though: your stress has actually been caused by your employer. If they aren't aware that this is the case it might be difficult to claim against them later if your situation escalates.

I was dismissed on health grounds and if my union had been firmer from the off I might have had a better case against the school. My doctor would certainly have supported me.

What does your union suggest putting on your sick note? If it's something which doesn't cover the real reason you're ill any return to work meeting will be a sham and the school won't be made to face up to its responsibilities and duty of care to you.

Incidentally the point at which I should have done this was when I was off for two weeks after a pupil threw a half brick at me which did hit me but only just missed my head. I did have stress on my sick note but didn't state explicitly that it was caused by work. The pupil denied it and the school believed him. I wrote to a colleague and had it delivered recorded delivery. When she told the head that I had written a full account of the incident to her she was put under a lot of pressure to hand the letter over. She refused.

Apologies if it's a silly question, but why did you send an account of the incident to a colleague by recorded delivery?