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Original poster

Headteacher and five staff suspended!

351 replies

Educationalshame · 26/02/2013 20:55

Have name changed so not to out myself. My children go here :(
I received a letter and that is it. Teachers will not really speak about it to me. What do I do?? Reading the attitudes of the other members of staff "What are teachers supposed to do?" Does not reassure me. Advice? Thoughts? Anyone..

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learnandsay · 26/02/2013 22:28

I'm sure something awful happened to lots of society's most dangerous individuals. (We already know about some famous cases.) I don't really know if family loyalty to those individuals is a good thing or a bad thing.

But if one of my children became seriously antisocial I'd aim to have them put in a secure institution. I'd visit them. I'd still care about them. But I would protect everybody else from them. If it was the fault of another person then I'd try as hard as possible to get that person brought to justice.

5madthings · 26/02/2013 22:29

That's crap about the ta, what support are they putting in place for your son?

numbum · 26/02/2013 22:29

She says hypothetically....

lougle · 26/02/2013 22:30

But if they were 4 years old and at school, you'd kick them out and make sure they went 'somewhere else' away from you....

ClayDavis · 26/02/2013 22:30

If something happened to my daughter to make her want to kick teachers and shout and scream in class then I'd want her sent away to a special unit.

You've excelled yourself there learnandsay. That's shocking even for you.

OP, the LA and others will be keeping an eye on the school. The new head should take a look at any issues that may still exist and hopefully put some sort of action plan into place if necessary.

numbum · 26/02/2013 22:32

OP, if the school are in the news then I'd assume they'd be doing their best to ensure nothing else goes 'wrong'. Just keep an eye on them once the media disappears

LineRunner · 26/02/2013 22:33

I think that if a child takes a knife to school then its a police matter WHATEVER age the child is.

In this case the knife was obtained from school dinners. By a 9-year old. In Blackpool.

tethersend · 26/02/2013 22:35

NYE, the only circumstances in which isolating a child in a room against their will would be legal is if it was a one-off incident and was reasonable, proportionate and necessary- I would argue that if a child had a knife, then this would indeed be a reasonable and proportionate response provided the child was not a danger to themselves.

ReallyTired, some teachers are trained to deal with weapons- they just don't usually work in mainstream schools.

AmberLeaf · 26/02/2013 22:37

The knife part of this story isn't definite though is it?

LineRunner · 26/02/2013 22:37

Did they leave him with the knife in the locked room?

learnandsay · 26/02/2013 22:38

Sorry, are we completely sure that the knife hasn't been invented by the media?

LineRunner · 26/02/2013 22:39

Tbh, I think it looks worse for the teachers if he did have a knife (even a blunt one from school dinners) and then they locked him - 9 years old - in a small room with it.

HotheadPaisan · 26/02/2013 22:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LineRunner · 26/02/2013 22:40

And if he didn't have a knife, then it wasn't about 'safety' for the school, it was wildly inappropriate and unhelpful punishment.

tethersend · 26/02/2013 22:40

Regardless of whether or not a knife was involved, the school were clearly using forced isolation routinely as a behaviour management technique. They even had a designated room. This is against the law.

It's no wonder staff have been suspended.

learnandsay · 26/02/2013 22:43

I think this is why there needs to be an inquiry. You can't let an out-of-control/violent nine year old with a knife outside the school to run around.

There are a lot of hard facts missing in this story.

ReallyTired · 26/02/2013 22:45

In this case the knife was obtained from school dinners. By a 9-year old. In Blackpool.

It is still a police matter if a child has managed to get hold of a knife and is out of control. The police have the training, the equipment and experience to manage such extreme behaviour.

How would you feel if the police had decided to put a nine year old in the cells?

HotheadPaisan · 26/02/2013 22:47

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

learnandsay · 26/02/2013 22:48

I'm not convinced that the police would find it necessary to put a nine year old in a cell. If the police can't deal properly with a disruptive nine year old then society is doomed.

LineRunner · 26/02/2013 22:49

ReallyTired, you wrote "I think that if a child takes a knife to school..."

According the media reports, he didn't.

I agree though that if the teachers were that freaked out they shoud have called for Police help.

Why didn't they? Had they started using the locked-cupboard technique too compacently?

AmberLeaf · 26/02/2013 22:49

Generally, if a situation with a primary aged child gets to a stage where calling the police is the answer, then the school have failed IMO.

HotheadPaisan · 26/02/2013 22:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

AmberLeaf · 26/02/2013 22:50

Maybe they didn't call the police because in locking a child in a cupboard they were themselves breaking the law?

HotheadPaisan · 26/02/2013 22:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

amillionyears · 26/02/2013 22:52

l&s is on the primary school threads a lot.Just primary school or gifted and talented usually.