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

Very sensible post.

As others say and as multiple posts here have shown, that’s certainly not true, or not in any school I have worked in or known. Pretty sure the students who swore at me, spat at me, pushed me, were not excluded.

Students who were excluded at the school I worked at did things like maliciously set off the fire alarm or brought a blade into school.

I agree with @MrsHamlet too that not all year 11s are on study leave – my DC had to be in school until their last exam. Also the subject is music – IME there is often only one music teacher in the school so not easy to cover.

I notice btw that the OP says "the teacher in question is still teaching" implying that the OP would be happier if they were suspended or even dismissed. Is that correct @Tiredallthetimelaura? If so, don’t you think, after the response on here (where only a small % agree with that) that this might be an overreaction? There must surely be a way to sort this and move forward. That feels like a good idea.

a) I'm not your mate
b) at the time I posted my comment, your last comment was on P21.

You may well have been out all day, and not posted between P21 and P35, but, you were still arguing 21 pages into the thread.

Late to the thread but...

If this had happened to my DD and she came home upset/embarrassed by it I would simply email the school (leaving a record of the conversation) and ask for a phonecall with the teacher. Explain that my DD was upset by the pen throwing and could they not do it again.

Teacher would explain their intention, apologise for upsetting her and everyone would have moved on with their lives. But once you make a formal complaint, the teacher can't really do this and have to follow procedures.

Allowing your DD is miss school over this, taking statements and making a formal complaint over something that happened once is just ridiculous. You haven't said the teacher was angry or aggressive at the time of throwing the pen, so I'd assume it was a misguided joke. Teachers are human, they don't always get everything right.

As a side, my DD tells me that one of her teachers throws a toy pig around the room! The kids love it!

@Tiredallthetimelaura now you’re back, do you think that your DD missing 20% of her schooling is wise? Do you really think she’s not going in that day due to not feeling safe? I mean surely she’s not safe any of the days that the music teacher is in? Dies the music teacher only come in one day. What’s making her feel unsafe? Or do you think really your DD is stringing you along with this line?

Myself (support staff) and my husband (Central support team for several schools within a MAT) both work in Secondary Schools and a student throwing a pen at a teacher would result in at least a 1 day exclusion. It is not ok and from the OPs posts, the school are trying to cover up the truth about what happened. Can't believe how many people are minimising it!!

Agree I am baffled. Probably get one day of Iso at my place.

The law is the law. As I've had to remind many head teachers in the past, the law doesn't stop at the school gates and to not comply is a crime in itself. What would you say if the highlighter had hit the pupils in the eye or similar and caused some serious damage?? You cannot trivialise an adult throwing anything at a child in any setting, its not acceptable, its not professional and as I said, its illegal.

I am so sorry for most of the comments on here. Your kid, no kid, should be getting stuff thrown at them by a teacher.
Follow through with the schools complaint procedure and safe guarding guidance. I have no idea what LADO is but if they are responsible for overseeing schools then do follow up with them as well.

Make sure they make alternative provisions for your child during that lesson, preferable to missing a day of other lessons if that is happening. It doesn't sound like her music lessons have been fulfilled this year so maybe look into external or alternate music tuition?

Well done on your girl for standing up respectfully when treated poorly. Assault in school should not be tolerated no matter the perpetrator nor the victim.

What do you want to happen OP? Teacher lose her job? Teacher never be allowed to teach again? Will that make your DD happy will she then want to go back to class?

You had to remind many head teachers? In what capacity?

The problem is that it sounds like you don’t know what you want as a resolution.
Should the teacher have done it - absolutely not.
Are they likely to be sacked over it? No
Timetabling wise, are they likely to be able to change it? No.
Should you have got statements from other pupils? No

I think you need to think about exactly you want out of it. My instinct for you and your DD is that you need to get it resolved and quickly and perhaps asking for an apology for your daughter and a reassurance that anything like this won’t happen again is probably the best outcome. You’ll never find out if the teacher had any action taken against her and the longer this goes on, the harder it will be on your DD to return and face this teacher. She may come across her in cover, lessons or whatever so unless you change schools, then work out what you want and make it reasonable.

If you feel a crime has been committed - why aren't you contacting the police @Tiredallthetimelaura ?

Locked and loaded...missile incoming...

Nope, wrong! I’m sure it was a yellow highlighter middle, pelted into the DD as a missile.

When I think of the hundreds of kilos of positive reinforcements that have sailed through the air in my classroom, should I hand myself in? Not one child nor parent complained. Guess I was just lucky to have resilient kids and parents who trusted my teaching style.

So let’s get this straight, you are stopping your daughter go to school on the day of the lesson even though she wouldn’t get taught by this teacher? How is that in her best interests? Hopefully the school has reported her poor attendance to the local authorities and social services.

You really do sound like everything that is wrong with parenting in this country. God knows how your poor little snowflake will survive in the real world the first time somebody shouts at her or something.

O.P. will not stop until this teacher is dismissed and sent back to her home country with her reputation in such a state she will never be able to work anywhere.

@GiveDogBone

Careful girl, the attack dogs are out...don't dare refer to their little darlings as "snowflakes" Nor as "little darlings", come to that.

The OP refuses to answer whether her goal is to have the teacher dismissed. Silence presumes consent. Over a frisbee-style toss of a pen.

Britain is a lost cause.

Community Safety manager for the local authority area. Probably won't mean much to you as people only met me in the course of a multi agency investigation into crime or anti-social behaviour. The role gave me a lot of powers in law to make sure investigations were made, conclusions were correct and nobody put up barriers to deflect or trivialise any facts. Some head teachers seemed to think it was a process of negotiation, very much like you've done. It was never a negotiation.

Sorry Correction
O.P. will not stop until this teacher is dismissed and sent back to their home country with their reputation in such a state they will never be able to work anywhere

How would you have coped back in the 70’s I wonder, rulers across the hand, the cane, etc.. stop creating and move on. We all had to put up with teachers we despised, who sent us out, gave us detentions, threw the chalk at us. Your daughter will get over it if you don’t make a song and dance about it.

This is hilarious. What a mountain from... well... not even a molehill!!!

Perhaps the OP's school's Physics class (if you can find a teacher, of course), might like to set up an experiment to ascertain the velocity of a pen over such a short distance, projected in a frisbee-style toss, and managing to lightly strike a child's arm. The chances of any damage, pain, bruising or loss of sight would be infinitesimally small. Get a grip, people.

The it was fine in the past is such a stupid argument. Lots of things were fine in the past. They aren't now!