Bullying teacher in Year 2 class

[howlingcow]

My friends 6 year old boy has been anxious about school lately and complaining of tummy ache, saying the teachers always shouting at him. He's a normal cheeky chappie of a boy who gets on generally well with adults/children. Another friend of ours who works as a supply teacher in the same class (large numbers) got really upset the other night and told us that the teacher and a classroom volunteer (supposedly a friend) are constantly on at this boy, blaming him for everything. In the case of the volunteer, her son is seriously badly behaved-he hits his mum and goes crazy on the yard so the supply friend reckons its her jealousy that is fuelling this bullying by her and the teacher (they are good mates). She wants to make a complaint to the headteacher but is unsure of the best way to go about it-our supply friend says she doesnt mind her name being mentioned as she's so upset about it. Has anyone ever encountered this kind of thing or have any idea of the best way to approach things? (sorry for length!)

The best way to approach this is with a bargepole.

Well-intentioned as these people might be, what you have here is second hand information about a child who is not yours.

One thing you might want to do though is tell the school (possibly anonymously) that one of its supply teachers is gossiping about (identifiable) children in the school.

Incredibly unprofessional behaviour by the supply teacher.

What Edith said and your friend should speak to the school herself if she has concerns about her child.

Yeah I know what you mean-its not professional but so many parents have misgivings about this teacher-I had to complain to her myself as she wasnt marking homework that she'd set for my DD. Our friend was actually in tears about it and just blurted it out so dont think she meant to be gossipy and unprofessional.

Your friend would need to approach the teacher in first instance, then the head, then the governors if she's not happy.
If the supply teacher wishes to complain, she should talk to the head, then the governors. Or she could just stop doing supply in the school if she dislikes the set-up so much?

Your role then is to be a supportive bystander.

If the supply teacher is so concerned, she really should be bringing it up with the school management herself, not telling parents about it (a good reason for you to stand clear; her unprofessional behaviour, no matter why she did it, will muddy things significantly).

She has already told the head she doesnt think this mum should be doing voluntary stuff in the same class as her disruptive son-she's old friends with the head but she needs the money and supply is not always easy to get around here. This class teacher also has her own child in the class who gets to sit on the TA's knee sucking his thumb so I really don't feel she has a good approach to fairness!!!

Is your child being bullied by this teacher? Is your child in this class?

You should advise the supply teacher to put in a report and complaint to the head. It would be better for the supply teacher to do this since she witnessed it.

I think the important thing here is that a small child is being bullied by adults. Adults he should be able to trust.There is no reason to believe that the supply teacher is lying about what they saw. It needs addressing. The treatment of the child is the important thing here, not whether the supply teacher is gossipy. She bloody should speak out!

Where we used to live, the school was bloody awful. The treatment of my eldest son was hidden from me and he was non verbal at the time so was unable to tell me.

He got a new TA

She showed up on my doorstep one night, in tears, to tell me how my son was being treated.

'Unprofessional' - no doubt people would say so.

But fuck that. Good. Glad she was. I needed to know. Because nothing matters more than the child. Nothing.

Yes, it is unprofessional.

The supply teacher should act professionally, and take her concerns immediately to the SMT. This would be quicker, and more effective.

Thanks for all your comments on this-sorry to hear about the treatment of your son JustHecate.

Thanks. We moved area not long after. Actually, we upped sticks and I just said he wasn't coming back.

Are you going to encourage the supply teacher to make a formal complaint? Please do. I wish someone had spoken up for my son before. I am very grateful to the new TA for coming to us. Those already there just accepted the treatment of him and colluded in hiding it from us.

Have name changed for this, as it's all a bit close to home. I'm entirely with Justhecate on this. Forget unprofessionalism - who gives a damn? The parents must go in NOW and rescue the child! If they don't, you should, OP. I was in this boy's position many years ago in the primary school, to the point of weird parallels, like the teacher having her DGD in the same form, which is what actually triggered the problem. It was AWFUL. My parents were too polite to properly interfere, and it went on for over a year. I felt like the whole world had turned against me, and nobody was there to protect me. I am now highly successful by most reasonable criteria, but I still occasionally have nightmares about being back in that teacher's class! I applaud the supply teacher for going against the norms of her workplace - like JustHeCate said, nothing matters more than the child.

We actually moved schools because a parent became a lunchtime supervisor and her children had their own personal bodyguards at playtime which is wrong, the school secretary was also a parent. I don't think parents working in their own child's school works tbh.

I'm with JustHecate as well. Sometimes professionalism can go swivel.

My ds was bullied at school, school denied it, said his behaviour was all our fault/SEN's. If it wasn't for a teacher who was retiring and had nothing to lose we would never have found out what was really going on. All the 'professional' teachers had stood by and let the head bully my son. These are the same 'professional' teachers who, I later found out, would lie to my face to cover up what the head had done, they convinced me my ds was lying to get attention. The same 'professional' teachers who, through their denial, drove my ds to self harm and have suicidal thoughts.

I salute the unprofessional teacher. She spent her last year sticking up for ds and got into a lot of trouble with the head for doing so. I just wish she'd been unprofessional earlier.

The supply teacher should complain to the head, and then if it still continues the governors. At the same time I would get your friend to make an appointment with the head to discuss the unhappiness and anxiety of their ds, not mentioning that the supply teacher has spoken about it.

It's up to the supply teacher or the boy's parents to raise the matter with the school.Not you.
I would be very very wary of what the supply teacher's agenda is here.As a teaching professional how can she not know how to raise this issue?

Unless you have witnessed the teacher's behaviour I don't think the school would take you seriously without evidence. I agree it is up th the parents and/or supply teacher if she has seen something that worries her.

The parent should ask to see the HT and say she's concerned that her child seems changed and now has tummy aches etc which he didn't use to, and that he complains about XYZ happening.

That would be a good place to start.

We recently removed our daughter from an independant girls prep school in Maidenhead as she, and many of her class were being bullied and utterly traumatised by thier class teacher. Girls were told not to tell their parents what was said in class, not to ask questions, that they were naughty for getting things wrong, to stand and repeat humiliating statements (I am a tell tale / a very naughty girl) ... it went on and on. After numerous meetings with an initially sympathetic head, the school refused to do anything about this teacher, and despite four other identical complaints from other families, suggested that we made the whole thing up. We went through hell to get it sorted out, with our outgoing, confident seven year old ending up in pieces. Thankfully, she is happy and settled in her new school. We later found out that complaints have been made about this teacher for years, yet the school denied any knowledge of it - act on your instincts, and support your child.

My own ds was bullied very badly by a teacher in year 3,she had bullied selected children for the last 15 years,it was well known and accepted- we took drastic steps when we were told ds was on the edge of a complete breakdown,it was a long drawn out procedure that isnt entered into lightly,initially I would suggest speaking to the head although the correct protocol is to speak directly to the teacher.

Teachers can and do bully children but its important to remember the vast majority of teachers dont.

My own son had lots of imaginery illness to stop him going to school and his behaviour drastically changed,until that fabtastic doctor stepped in and arranged hospital schooling in the home for him for over 2 years!! - even now as an 18 year old law student the mention of the teachers name brings tears to his eyes bullying bruises the soul and those bruises fade but dont disappear.

Well said, JustHecate and the rest - I'm guessing the first three replies are from teachers who are more concerned about protecting the establishment - how dare a supply teacher criticise one of their own? Never mind that a child is suffering.