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Original poster

Is this assault? - confrontation between headteacher and 6 year old

116 replies

ptangyangkipperbang · 31/10/2007 13:09

DS1 (age 9) came home from school yesterday talking about what had happened in assembly. He said a class 1 child was misbehaving so the head shouted at the child (loud enough to make one of the special needs children cry) and got him to come out to the front. He then said the child had to go to his office. The child, for whatever reason, refused to go. I know this must have been frustrating for the head and he wouldn't want his authority undermined, but DS1 said the head then marched the child the length of the hall, pushing him in the back to make him move. DS1 said the whole school (nearly 200 kids) sat in stunned silence.
I've had my doubts about the leadership of this head and have heard him shouting at pupils in a bullying manner but do you agree that by doing this he has overstepped the mark?
By the way DS1 is usually a reliable source!

OP posts:
Blandmum · 31/10/2007 15:01

and what good did that do anyone? Nothing!

It drives me mad. you have to have rules and authority. and if a child breaks the rules then the punishment must be swift and convincing!

lou33 · 31/10/2007 15:02

lol i had a vision of you screaming "orf with their heads" then!

pagwatch · 31/10/2007 15:03

I was told off by head who was still listing my many faults as we approached stair case. I stumbled, he grabbed my elbow to support me. By break time i was being asked to tell everyone why the head had pushed me down the stairs
I was briefly a legend at my school

Blandmum · 31/10/2007 15:04

There was a very long thread once of a MUM who was upset that a teacher was bullying a child in the class, and her dd. DD supported the victim, backed her up that the teacher was abusive etc etc.

Mother was understandable upset and posted on MN.

Tell the head, came the call

Tell the Governers, they all shouted

Tell the LEA, this teacher should be truck off etc etc etc. was the response.

Then it all came out that the freind had made the whole thing up, and the dd was just backing up her mate.

Did we see, ban the kids? report them to the head? did we buggery!

BelaWotzLugosi · 31/10/2007 15:06

sorry for hyjack, but any ideas what I could do for my dd?
have to dash in a minute, she was early in tears yesterday when I picked her up.

maggotandjerry · 31/10/2007 16:34

MB is right, as ever.

Also, can we get perspective on this. Assault and battery claims for a headmaster firmly steering a child out of a situation.

These charges are for situations where harm, even psychological harm, is caused. In this circumstance a child was prevented from digging himself a bigger hole. No harm done. School retains its authority.

demonaid · 31/10/2007 16:58

Technically it probably is assault. You don't even need to touch someone for it to be assault, technically (thinks back to law degree). I hope it wouldn't be treated as assault, though.

But, if true, bad practice. A class 1 child is, what -- five? Possibly only just five. Shouting at a five-year-old in front of the whole school isn't really on, in my opinion.

And very stupid -- everyone knows the trouble that perfectly good teachers can get into if they lay a finger on a child in a totally non-threatening manner, so what leads someone to do it in anger in front of several hundred witnesses?

Blandmum · 31/10/2007 17:01

child is 6 according to the OP.
If my son had refused to do what his head asked at that age, i'd have read him the riot act.

demonaid · 31/10/2007 17:06

(Read the thread title, lemon... read the thread title...). So, just turned six (given it's October now).

Yes, so would I. But I wouldn't have expected a headteacher to shout at him (loudly enough to make another child cry) in front of 200 other children in the first place. And, to be honest, I wouldn't expect him to push him either.

I wouldn't be storming to the LEA demanding the head's head (ha! see what I did there...) on a platter, or putting in an official complaint. But I would have very serious concerns about how well he was handling the stresses of the job and directing the ethos of the school. It would run up red flags for me, definitely.

Elizabetth · 31/10/2007 17:07

The kid probably refused to go because he was scared what would happen when he was alone in the office with a head teacher who had lost his temper.

If the kid was compliant enough to come up to the front when he was told, he should have just got him to sit down in front of him and be quiet, or got one of the other teachers to take him out quietly.

What a bully - if you can't create discipline without shouting and pushing six year olds around you've got no business being a head teacher.

Blandmum · 31/10/2007 17:09

Oh, as I said in my first post , it isn't best practice.

But I'd be interested to know exactly what happened, as tales grow.

I would also know why a 'not naughty' child felt he could ignore his headmaster.

and souting is shouting, not bullying IMHO. again shouting isn't a good thing, but neither is it bullying.

TerrorMater · 31/10/2007 17:10

I have a magnificent shout. But I reserve it for special occasions only . Shouty-shouty is ineffective IME.

Blandmum · 31/10/2007 17:11

I use what dd calls 'The quiet voice that scares people'

Presumably this will also be banned soon.

Blandmum · 31/10/2007 17:13

real shouting I reserve for breaking up teenage fights.

it is quite impressive to see two testosterone driven 15 year olds stop hitting 7 shades of shit out of each other and spring apart just because of decibels!

TerrorMater · 31/10/2007 17:14

Ah yes. Turning down the volume but incresing the intensity does the trick for me too. Definitely scary. Possibly damaging to fragile teenage psyches...

Blandmum · 31/10/2007 17:15

that is the one TM! Steely determination in every dripping word. lovely stuff!

pointydog · 31/10/2007 17:19

We only have such one-sided evidence.

Based on the op's bare description of events that possibly never happened, I really find it hard to believe that anyone would even consider this to be assualt.

SueW · 31/10/2007 17:21

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at OP's request.

Blandmum · 31/10/2007 17:24

My SIL is an infants school teacher, she has been told, 'Fuck off you cunt' by very youg children

Mercy · 31/10/2007 17:30

MB, that's awful

I know of 2 children who have been excluded (or whatever the right term is) from school before they have even reached statutory school age. Swearing, fighting and consistently not accepting the teacher's authority.

Blandmum · 31/10/2007 17:35

at present I know of a teacher who is working with an NT child of 7 who has bitten children and members of staff so hard that the bite drew blood

shewhoneverdusts · 31/10/2007 19:24

We had a good one a couple of years ago. New intake to reception year, Mother came into to compain to the head about bullying in the school, on the part of the techers. When they started to discuss the 'problem', it was that "little Billy was bullied because he wated to play in the early years garden and your teacher wouldn't let him"!!!!! and to her, that was bullying.
I wish more teachers and heads were able to use some authority and stop some of the little sh*ts being so abusive and disrespectful. It would realyy change the society we currently live in.
Good on that headteacher I say, and I will probably not be popular for saying that.

justaboutdrippingblood · 31/10/2007 19:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Greensleeves · 31/10/2007 19:41

Well, it wasn't 'reasonable restraint' or done for the child's/anyone else's safety - so legally it WAS common assault, like it or not.

Cowardly inadequate twat shouldn't be allowed within twenty feet of a 6yo child.

bossybritches · 31/10/2007 19:48

You weren't there-nor were we.
The head is paid to cope with it as best he can at that time with the situation he is entrusted to hold.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing & yes we may have chosen to deal with it differently maybe so would the head.

I do find it odd that so many people (not the OP here !)are commenting on teachers actions when they weren't there, let them get on with it. They have little enough support. If it was your child fair enough go & have a chat, but I wouldn't automatically believe the childrens angle first off.Two sides to every story & all that.

A similar situation happened at our school a few years ago. The rest of the kids were shocked rigid. Did them no harm & it reinforced the heads position . Yes it scared them so what? Not a bad thing now & then IMHO.

We're breeding a nation of wimps!!