6 year old boy throwing chairs in class

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I've changed my name as there are people at dds school who know me on here.

I have a dd in year 2. She's coming home every day with stories of how the class was all rushed out into the playground / library / next door class because a particular little boy was throwing chairs at the others in the class - usually aimed at one of the boys, sometimes just smashed at the wall. So far one girl and one boy have been injured, not badly, but a little boys earlobe was cut, girl had bruised knee.

Today she told me that he'd called the teacher 'shitface'. Last week he called them all mother fuckers and fuck heads.

She doesn't use the words she hears and knows they're bad, so really I'm not too horrified by the swearing, but the level of aggression is worrying.

The teacher is a nqt and struggling a bit I think. The head has said to lots of people that she's never dealt with anything like this before. They're obviously trying, the mother is called to the school frequently, apparently other agencies to be involved, and he was excluded before half term.

My concern is the level of aggression around the other children - he just flips and starts smashing up the classroom and hurling things, dd said it was much easier to do her work when he wasn't there, when he is there, there is a lot of time spent coaxing him into doing things or trying to calm him down. Some of the mothers are getting really angry and demanding something is done, and I feel kind of torn between dds personal safety, which is obviously my priority, and not wanting a witch hunt when the boy and his family obviously need some help and understanding and other involvement.

I'm just wondering how others would feel about this.

Exactly, that's what's putting me off making a complaint. I've known this little boy since he was a baby - I know what his life is like, how he's treated, how he's spoken to, what his mother is like and can guess what her childhood was like too. Of course dd is my priority and I want her to be safe at school, and all the children, but it's really difficult to as I cannot see what alternatives there are for him - being excluded is likely to set him back further and further - and I dread to think what he'll be like by the time he's a teenager if he doesn't get appropriate support and help NOW. So, I don't want them to exclude him, but maybe it would be worth finding out if other parents writing could speed up any support or assistance in the classroom. They must find a better way to deal with him, as these complicated 'traffic light' and 'black cloud' systems just don't work at all. One of the teachers was in tears recently as she witnessed his mother's friend literally screaming abuse at him in the street, it's just so unsurprising that he's suddenly unable to control his anger. It's very sad.

how do you have so much information on this boys case?
you have pretty much described my son last year.

he has ASD and related behavioural issues.

the school are dealing with it and you complaining isn't going to suddenly make this child behave at school. or maybe the outcome your looking for is permenant exclusion?

Is that in response to me? If you read my last post, I said that the reason I DON'T want to make a complaint is because I DON"T want him to be excluded.

I don't have so much information on his case, I know what i'm told by my dd, by the teacher, what I see when the class are all evacuated because of chairs being thrown, as I said, they live close to me and I've known him since he was a baby.

What I want is for the chairs not to be flying past my dds head and for her learning not to be interrupted several times a day because of being evacuated into the playground. What I'd like is for him to have full time support, for his homelife to be better, for there to be support available 1-1.

Hi Lost, it seems we're not talking about the same child here - he and dd are both 6, and not in London.

I don't think anyone on this thread has appeared to be out to get any of the children mentioned - we're acknowledging the difficulty in doing anything and in the conflicting interests of our children, and the child throwing the chairs, it's very difficult isn't it. I hope the headteacher gets back to you and something can be resolved.

He is obviously a very troubled little boy. It isn't easy for the school,he needs one to one support but they have to get funding for it and to do that he needs a statement. It has to go through the proper channels and meanwhile they have to manage his behaviour. I think it unfair to put him with an NQT. Often it ends up with them being permanently excluded and then people say 'how can you exclude a DC when they are only 6/7 yrs old?' but you can see how it happens. The government ought to spend money at this stage IMO, it would save a lot later on. Even an experienced teacher couldn't cope with such extreme behaviour on her own.I would raise your concerns with the Head, she must be aware that parents are worried.

This child obviously needs help, that goes without saying.
I don't have much experiance with the situation but I know that complaints have to be logged and such complaints might actually help the school get extra funding for the child, in that they can say to the LEA, 'look, we have X amount of complaints about this childs behaviour, parents aren't happy and are threatening to go to the press etc about the safety in schools'

Hope it all starts to get better soon

Given the behaviour, and If, as you say, there are other agencies involved, I'd suspect that the LEA has sent in/ will be sending in someone to assess his behaviour in the classroom setting. This can (but doesn't always) preceed being transferred from the school to a unit.

I would give your child quite clear instructions on trying to sit near the exit during class time (unless this boy is seated there as well) and turning away (full body) when things start flying and to cover their head and eyes at the same time. I used to teach boys like this in a unit. The table and chair flying can happen very suddenly, so unfortunately, you will need to teach your child to be prepared to react at all times.

Do you know if the teacher is restraining him to stop the throwing?

The language will, 9 out of 10 times be the parents/carers 'language of choice' at home.

FGS year 2 that makes about 7yrs? Take him by the arm and get him out of the room.

My DS had a boy who seemed to have similar problems, young newsh teacher did all this faffing about, it seemdd to fuel his beliefs that the world revolved around him. Thankfully the eacher next year was up for no messing and dealt with him much better.

Its not about witch hunting its about dealing with a 7yr old in an appropriate fashion, you do not evaquate the room to coochycoo a stroppy child. You remove him and if need be child goes to head to alert them that class is unattended and teacher dealing with stroppy child.

The problem is that it is a short term fix skramble. Even if the Head takes him for the rest of the day, he is back in class the next morning. We are not talking about a 'naughty' boy here, we are talking about a very disturbed child who needs help.
Also if he refuses to move from the classroom a teacher can't drag him by force, if he is rampaging around the room, throwing things the only thing to do is remove the other children to a place of safety and let someone else deal with him.

Well, it took 4 adults to restrain him last time, he's pretty big and strong, and when in a rage, it's not a case of taking him by the arm and leading him out of the classroom, more pinning him down and dragging I'd have thought. I don't think the young teacher is faffing, I think she's following guidelines.

I guess it is a case of waiting for assessment and then support for him, but in the meantime it's quite alarming as a parent. One afternoon at home time the parents could see in through the window as he tore around the room pushing things over, throwing things, kicking out, with various members of staff trying to catch him - it's not as simple as choochycooing him or however Skramble put it, he's not just being naughty, he's in a state of absolute rage and lashing out.

Unfortunately the children aren't allowed to choose where they sit, but will certainly talk to dd about protecting herself from flying chairs.

Skramble, have you ever tried to remove a flailing and aggressive 7 yr old from a room of 29 other 6 and 7 year olds?

It takes at least 2, but sometimes 3 of us to remove a child from the classroom to avoid being hurt ourselves in the process. During this time, the rest of the class is then left unattended. Given that I have 6 children in my class with behavioural difficulties, I really have to avoid leaving the class alone, at all costs.

It's not just a matter of "Take him by the arm and get him out of the room".

If it takes 4 people to restrain him he needs to be in another environment, where he can get more dedicated attention, or have a classroom assistant whos sole job is to monitor and assist him. People dealing with him need proper restraint training as 4 people restraining a 7 year old is bordering on the ridiculous and is dangerous for the child and other children in the vicinity. A raving drugged up adult can be restrained by 2 trained people.

If the child is throwing chairs he can indeed be removed with force, he is learning nothing by all this. I can see quite clearly he is a disturbed child he needs proper care and treatment, not left to bounce round a class while a couple of stressed out teachers play catch me if you can. If this is a regular occurance they should not be put in this position, they are quite frankly not trained to deal with this and should be free to actually teach their class.

Sorry but with this level of disruption both the child and his class mates are going to suffer in many ways.

Unfortunately skramble, it isn't just a case of seeing what needs to be done and doing it!
The Head and staff know that he is in the wrong place and isn't getting his needs met, I expect it was obvious from his first week in school. They have to go through the right channels, he will have to be observed and he will need a statement. A statement isn't easy to get because if it says that his educational needs can't be met in mainstream school a place has to be found elsewhere. The more likely (cheaper) course is that he needs his own TA in school. The Head needs extra funding for this and can't get it unless she has a statement.In the meanwhile this boy is on the school role and has to be managed in the classroom. If he gets too disruptive he can be taken out, if the Head can't do anything with him she can call on the parent to take him home but he will be back the next day.There are no instant solutions.
I would keep discussing your worries with the Head, parental complaint may help speed up the process.

Strangely enough I don't actually think it is that simple. I do realise there is a lot more to it. If it was that easy we wouldn't have the level of disruption in classrooms that we have. But that doesn't mean it is being dealt with correctly.

But it isn't the Head's fault-she can only go through the channels available to her.

I thought a child could get support without being "statemented" (I'm thinking School Action & School Action Plus). What happened to "Every Child Matters" and "Meeting Individual Needs"?!

Once he's got a statement, he won't be able to be excluded from the school for any of this type of behaviour. I'm surprised that the Head hasn't attempted to get him moved into a unit, if only for a fixed period of time to calm things down. There is a trend towards doing this at the moment.

You'll need at least 2 members of staff to restrain and remove a table/chair chucker from a classroom.

DiMUm, a child can get support without a statement. But if the support is expensive then the funding may not be there. A statement means that the LEA are obliged to come up with the money; it is legally binding. A headteacher may be very anxious to help but simply unable to lay his hands on the sort of money that would fund a 1:1, which is what this little boy probably needs.

Cory - thanks for that