My child was hit by a pen, thrown by a teacher

[Tiredallthetimelaura]

So my daughter who is in year 8 was in a lesson when her teacher 'cold called' her a question. My daughter responded she didn't know the answer and the teacher then threw a highlighter pen at her, hitting her on the arm. The teacher then did it again to another student, also hitting them on the arm. We have reached level 2 of a complaint, but it's always investigated by management within the academy. The school keep down playing what happened and not investigating what we ask. This teacher is still teaching, although my daughter isn't going in on the day of that lesson, which is greatly affecting her attendance. The school said they would move my daughter so she could do a different lesson (double Maths or double English), but we said no! This feels like a punishment to our daughter. She wants to do that lesson, just not with that teacher... and we agree.
Any advice on what/how the school legally should be handling this? Happy to answer any further questions Xx

Of course the teacher is still teaching. This isn't a level 2 complaint. The teacher Frisbee styled a highlighter that touched your dd blazer.
Get a grip and move on

This is why teachers are leaving, hysterical parents

To be fair, while my son was at secondary school a few years ago, a boy threw a pencil at another boy in class. Hit him in the eye, direct hit. He's now blind in that eye from the damage it caused.

I have worked with mostly exemplary teachers and a few not so exemplary ones. This has happened at a school I worked it and the teacher and senior leaders acknowledged it shouldn’t have happened, apologised and reassured the parents it wouldn’t happen again. No way would this be brushed off in any of the schools I’ve worked in and rightly so

Jesus Christ - if you are that tramatised get your child some therapy - engage a solicitor, talk to the police -

You some kids don’t get fed, some are living in cold damp conditions, others haven’t ever had a clean cup or water, let alone free eduction, options, a future.

Put some perspective on this and move on - send her to school and get a decent eduction.

Alternatively find her another school.

Some kids made up a rumour a teacher was racist when it was fake. I refused to corroborate their story. I wouldn’t be so sure she’s telling the truth, especially when there are so many other witnesses.

hopefully they ask some more of the pupils, they’re potentially going to end someone’s career

tell your daughter you’re going to the police and she may have to make a statement, and gauge her reaction.

So there is no room in your world for the possibility that the daughter is exaggerating and the school have given the OP a perfectly reasonable explanation that she won't accept?

This must be a bad school?

Once again, whatever happened, neither you nor I have sufficient information to make a call. The school do and they have. You immediately default to it's a bad school and they are lying. Why?

Why didn’t your daughter know the answer to the teacher’s question?

We had a teacher at school who used to make people stand in the bin and throw chalk at them. Once he threw a pair of scissors at a lad!

I agree with this poster. OP please please find something else to do. Seriously? Don't you have dishes? Something to fix, clean or anything else to do.

Is this relevant to anything? I was a shy kid and often didn’t know the answer out of nerves, or because I’d forgotten. Even if she wasn’t listening, it’s no excuse for throwing. Though I will say I’m not sure I believe the daughter.

You still didn't say what outcome do you want and expect.

Even if the teacher through the highlighter pen, they won't get fired for that or the timetable redone.

I can see some potential for an apology, but not much more in general. And, in some way, the more you blow it up, the less potential I see.

However, if your DD has an adjustment saying she shouldn't be call called, maybe you can talk to the SENco/head of year/ whoever and ask them to remind the teacher of that.
That way you would have some "won't happen again" for your DD and everyone could move on.

Ok, I've been trying to read all the comments, but everyone is asking the same thing, so here goes...
My daughter went into her music class, sat down and recieved her book. She had been writing in her book for maybe 10 minutes when the teacher cold called her and said 'What is Blues music?' This was out of the blue, zero lead up and clearly not a game. My daughter answered she didn't no the answer, as she hasn't been taught this due to having a cover teacher for the last 6 months. The music teacher had been in her home country for all that time and had just returned back to her post. AFTER answering that she didn't know, the teacher picked up the highlighter pen from her desk and threw it at her. It hit her on the arm and came completely out of the blue!
As per the schools response - yes of course I've asked them to explain what game consists of throwing anything at anyone but highlighted its worse that this 'game' means you can after the answer is given. They can't answer. This question is constantly avoided. They've said the game is cold calling, but other than that nothing!
Outcome - I don't know what Outcome I want because I'm not sure where I can go, which is why I asked here. Hoping to get some sensible answers from teachers.
Absolutely no one should have anything thrown at them! It's irrelevant if it hurt her or not, and to be ridiculed that she was shook up and embarrassed!?! Anyone heard of safeguarding? She goes to school to be taught not to have something thrown at her! She should feel safe - Duty of care!?!

You are determined that OP and her daughter are exaggerating, why? I’ve also heard various others that this kind of practice is normalised in secondary schools so yes I can believe it has happened.

Obviously teachers mustn't throw pens. Students mustn't throw pens. We don't throw things in the classroom. However, if I heard one of my colleagues had thrown a pen at a student, I reckon I'd be able to guess which student within three tries.

If my child got a pen thrown at her by a teacher, I'd expect there to be consequences, but I'd also be reflecting on whether my child might be highly irritating and rude.

No, see, you're failing in your logic again. I am saying I don't know what happened. You are saying you do.

They would certainly be briefly suspended for the physical altercation while they investigated. Schools come down on this like a ton of bricks.

And we wonder why children have no resilience and teachers want to leave

My issue with this is that it sounds like the teacher is not dangerous or violent, but just completely insane. It's much the same as if the story was when your daughter said she didn't know, the teacher without explanation stood up, ran in a circle and went "woop woop woop" like Curly from the 3 Stooges. it makes absolutely no sense. So I struggle to accept its a complete version of evenst.

OP has explained what’s happened several times.
Read her posts and you’ll see it if you want to.

It's unreal isn't?

In this day and age, it's probably not the smartest thing in the world to do (albeit we've only got one side of the story here), but I genuinely don't understand how a child could be raised in such a way that being hit on the arm by a pen could leave them 'emotionally traumatised'.

Something has gone seriously wrong there.

Demand an apology from the music teacher.

I am not surprised she didn't know the answer I wonder if they taught the history of where blues came from. Schools are not good at teaching the full facts especially when it comes to slavery.

And I reckon if the teacher was on this thread, we’d get a very different story.

The music teacher had been in her home country for all that time and had just returned back to her post.

Along with the drip feed about your DD being a selective mute...what are you hoping for here?

Honestly, I can't see why you're making such a fuss. When I was at school in the late 80s, teachers throwning chalk and board rubbers at pupils were were regular occurrences and we all behaved a lot better. No one was traumatised

Likewise. The board rubber was usually launched with intent to shock, not hit.
Pens and pencils sometimes hit the mark. Nobody traumatised here either.
Just made you sit up and pay attention.

I blame Grey's Anatomy. I reckon the OP should sue the show and the network, for endangering our kids and traumatising them with terrible example.

In a teaching conference, one of the doctors throw sweets at students/ other doctors who give a correct answer.

And now we have things randomly thrown around classroom for no reason.
You can probably get a hefty compensation for the suffering and the drama the tv network caused.