Violence in classroom

[DU74]

I have taken on a year 11 class where a number of pupils regularly resort to aggression and violence.

In the last four weeks, I've tried to instil high expectations and be completely consistent, but I've had to break up fights, stop pupils from throwing items around the room, discipline pupils for invading personal space and intimidating others, listen to disgusting name calling, and be challenged as though they don't see the problems with their behaviour.

Today this escalated to a pupil lunging at me and pushing me against a wall.

I don't want to go back and continue to deal with this. I don't know what the consequences will be for this pupil yet, but what should I expect or ask for?

get your union involved I think, I’m no expert but any physical aggression towards me would immediately make me think it’s unsafe and it’s time to get them involved!

But most importantly are you okay? Do you feel comfortable going in tomorrow?

If you say no to both of those, I would probably say you’re feeling unwell tomorrow, regain some composure and then contact the union and go from there.

Also worth talking with the pastoral team and your hod too to ask for support with this moving forward.

Straight to the head of year and SLT. And contact your union.

I left mainstream to work in a PRU and this sort of behaviour is expected. However, it's not tolerated- any physical or verbal behaviour is logged and there are consequences. Consequences that matter to the student. It's ironic that I feel more protected as a teacher in this environment than I did in the mainstream classroom.

I second the union advice.

You need to write out a clear account of what happened and send to the head and the safeguarding team at your school. You should write that you are currently unsafe.
I would not be teaching that student again and I would be logging every incident and asking specifically for an action from SLT. I would also be taking union advice. You do not need to put up with that.

Union. Head. Potentially report to the police.

In that order.

In previous schools, physical aggression towards a teacher would be permanent exclusion. I wouldn't be happy with anything less than this really - definitely involve your union.

What back up do you have in terms of dealing with this class?

When you say break up fights, do you mean you are physically intervening?

Thanks for the advice and sense of perspective. I discussed with HoY and logged on the SLT system, and the child was isolated. Initially, the plan was for a day out of lessons, but then HoY pushed for this to extend to all week out of my lessons.

They are now back, without warning. Apparently they have never behaved like this before. I've logged all misdemeanours since, which parents can see on the app and I've had the child come to my classroom in their own time to demand to know why I keep logging points, saying parents don't understand why (even though the reasons are provided factually).

I would have liked to say I didn't want them back, but as nobody told me and they just turned up and came in, I guess I had to, or at least did, accept the punishment was completed.