The saddest thing is that l’m not surprised to hear how badly this poor teacher has been treated.

[HedgesNotFences]

The teacher taught a Yr 6 boy how to use a glue gun. He didn’t follow the instructions and gave himself 2 “tiny” blisters from a glue gun burn.
The teacher was unable to tell the parent straight after school as she had to deal with a serious safeguarding issue.
The Yr6 parent took to social media then the newspapers. She then went to A&E (for 2 “tiny” blisters - recorded as such by A&E). She then went to the police. She then went to the Health and Safety executive. Then she contacted the school.
In the week after the incident she was outside the school gates setting up a petition to get the teacher sacked (the teacher had already been asked to resign by then and had left her position).
The teacher had to face a government tribunal where it was found she brought the profession into disrepute and wasn’t safe (because she didn’t have a TA to constantly watch over every single Yr6 who was using a glue gun).
Because of the shortage of teachers and the fact that she was actually pretty good, the tribe kindly allowed her to continue being a teacher. Though God knows why she would want to.

The parent gets to remain anonymous.

I hope the teacher has been supported through her ordeal - her mental health must have suffered terribly.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-misconduct-panel-outcome-ms-sarah-mead

*tribunal

I'm.a teacher. Blame culture is stifling creativity.

Jesus! Why did the parent go through so many different route’s before getting in touch with the school? Imagine how stressed the teacher would have been going through that? Insane

And this is why I won’t teach. Without being big headed I think I’d be good at it, but I wouldn’t want to work with the risk or with parents like this.

the case should have been thrown out!

The entitlement of mother and child shines through in the report. The child was told not to use the glue gun but did it as soon as the teacher’s back was turned, forcing her to teach him to use it. Once he had burned himself, he then refused to follow instructions to put water on it. So glad I am no longer teaching. But, looking at so many threads on here, and the parents who will allow their children to take no responsibility for their behaviour, the reasons for the teacher recruitment crisis are painfully obvious. Oh, the bullying head teacher is a frequent part too.

Poor teacher! Year 6 is aged ten isn’t it?

Why aren’t children being taught these skills at home anyway?

My sister used to teach CDT in a school. It was great for kids for many reasons. The school scapped it though because it was seen as too expensive and risky.

That’s awful. I don’t understand why the teacher was asked to resign. School management and police should protect teachers from insane vindictive parents not facilitate them.

The current persecution of teachers for so many different things (glue guns, socalled misgendering, saying the wrong thing and what the wrong thing is may change from hour to hour) reminds me so much of thr way teachers were treated in communist regimes.

Some people just love an argument.

That's awful. I'm surprised SLT didn't try to nip it in the bud sooner.

The parent sounds a nighmare, but such parents exist and you generally know who they are in your school.

A timely warning for all new/prospective teachers, and a reminder for existing staff, that the paperwork/call to parent has less to do with the child than it does to PROTECT YOU. Always prioritise it.

How awful for the teacher. And goodness me, I wonder what made that parent act so vindictively. I don’t think she should be demonised either as it’s possible she had some reason to be anxious about the child’s health.

Tbh I think ‘blame’ should be pinned on the school and on the TRA. Wtf were they thinking bringing this to a tribunal?

The mother is a complete, utter twat. And if I saw her in the playground I would tell her so.

Over a safe guarding issue?

If you want to keep your job then yes. Of course it could be that if she'd delayed to fill in the mandatory paperwork and inform the parent that she would have been in breach of something else...

The actual incident with the glue gun sounds like an accident.

So many people don't seem to understand the concept of an accident any more. They always have to look for someone to blame.

If her child's shoes gave him a couple of small blisters would she hand herself in to the Police for giving him the shoes to wear?

And as a result so many primary schools will now decide not to use glue guns any more due to risk and low staffing levels, and pupils will no longer get the experience and enjoyment of making something fairly robust. It'll be pva and sellotape only.
Poor teacher, and shame on those who let it get this far before realising how UTTERLY RIDICULOUS the whole thing is.
As an ex-teacher of 20 years, I despair.

She wasn't actually in trouble over the accident. She was in trouble for not filling out the book and informing the parent.

Oh, and not doing a risk assessment for unplanned use of a glue gun, but mainly the first 2.

This is The Sun article from last year. I think the mum is bonkers.

www.google.com/amp/s/www.thesun.co.uk/news/18592571/furious-mum-school-son-burn-glue-gun/amp/

I don't want to hijack your thread but I'm not familiar with the British system and I'm totally shocked about your link.

Why are such incidents made public outside of the "affected" school and the teacher's name is published online? Is that a standard procedure when anything like this happens? And why?
I might sound daft but I'm genuinely intrigued about that.

@immergeradeaus i think it’s staggeringly unlikely the mum has any reason except she’s a dick. Why do we excuse twattish behaviour all the time these days. The woman is a cow and has destroyed this teacher’s career for a fucking blister on an 11 yr old.

This is why I don’t teach anymore. I was a good teacher and I worked bloody hard - but parents like this just eroded my love for the job.

Makes me sick.....the teacher was failed by having zero TA support along.
The mother carried out a harassing witch hunt against her. Appalling.
She sounds a wonderful teacher and her passion for the job is demonstrated by continuing to be an amazing teacher.