Teachers sent home with no pay after refusing to teach violent children

[spaghettipeppers]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-46047517?fbclid=IwAR1ltRdEcVX6gbwimsTSEFAqu4gX3-lpvq_oNL9Le4jbsSz7ANF1B-xqrno

Obviously the violence has gone way beyond what even a specialist staff are equipped to deal with.

Wow, this is shocking. Shocking management on the part of the school - who wants to work for an SLT which will force you into a classroom to be abused and assaulted?

I hope the entire staff quits.

Obviously none of us know the whole story but this is a school which deals only with young people who can't manage mainstream so it is always going to be challenging. It sounds like the unions haven't engaged in the process that has been put in place by the local council to make changes and improve things.

Whatever kind of provision it is, staff have the right to feel supported by management in difficult circumstances. I doubt these 11 teachers took the action lightly, given that they chose to work in this school.

Do you think that's every teacher in the school?

I think the vast majority of teachers see special education as a particular vocation.

In Scotland the inclusion agenda has been pushed so much that it is nigh on impossible to be given a place at a special school. No one chooses that route lightly.

This certainly wasn't a decision made without several months of worry, I would bet.

Units have very high staff numbers usually, but it would be a significant proportion I think.

Just because it's going to be 'challenging' are the teachers just meant to accept being assaulted?

And what noble said.

I teach in an SEMH (social, emotional and mental health needs- used to be called EBD- emotional and behavioural difficulties) secondary school. Yes, it is very difficult at times. I have had chairs thrown at me, been punched in the face, had my glasses smashed to bits, been kicked etc. But rarely by the same child more than once or twice.

7 assistant to 8 students is a crazy ratio (we have 1TA (and teacher of course) to 6-8 students as standard; there is one exception where we have 2 TAs (and teacher) to a class of 7). And even that crazy ratio isn’t working.

“The [7] assistants with the eight kids last week were just trying to keep them apart and stop them fighting. They were just running around the school swearing - it was just chaos." “

It sounds to me like these students need splitting up. How many need to leave or stay is obviously not for me to say as I don’t now anyone involved. We’ve had similar situations before where two students cannot be educated together and decisions had to be made about who would move on and where.

www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/education/staff-refuse-to-teach-violent-pupils-at-edinburgh-special-school-1-4822095?fbclid=IwAR0TUkUgcFwlzEN5cDUqt7_DEYyG2C_QoesXctikVdtf5Gh_VvIUzNBG4ec

The local newspaper suggests that after a series of incidents (furniture thrown, police called etc) that the 8 children were put in the 1 class with 8 assistants which seems a really daft move from SLT.

If police need to be called and 9 members of staff can't control 8 students then it's not unreasonable to suggest that duty of care is given to no one. They shouldn't be put in the same class together, that's fairly obvious.

I don't think it's as simple as splitting them all up. With such a high ratio of 1-1 and smaller classes, space will be at a premium.

No, it would be impossible to find 8 separate placements. Although it may have got to the point where a fresh start might be best for all involved. I would imagine you could move 3 or 4 maybe in two pairs? I’m speculating massively here based on my own experience. These children clearly have extreme needs (even for an SEMH school) and they can’t all be met in the same place.

I work in a school with children who have ASD and other complex needs. Being spat at, hit or having school property destroyed is a daily occurrence. Some of our children are 3-1 (the have three staff to one child).
But they are also fantastic kids who are mostly living in constant fear and crippling anxiety.
If people are not prepared to teach these kids what’s the alternative? Where do they go?

If this happened to colleagues I would hand in my resignation.