Headteacher shouting

[hottishwater]

Name changed for this. Will keep details murky for obvious reasons.

I am support staff and was working with a dysregulated KS1 child today. The child agreed to move to a separate allocated space but became further dysregulated. The headteacher came to 'support' and shouted so loudly that the child jumped and whimpered. This was heard by staff and presumably children in a neighbouring classroom. The child (exactly as predicted by their behaviour plan) doubled down and didn't respond to demands to follow instructions. The HT told them that their behaviour was ridiculous, not even a nursery child would display their behaviours, etc. It did halt the escalating dysregulation, so was this a strategy that was called for in this instance? I felt extremely uncomfortable with the interaction and don't really know what to do now. Afterwards, the HT did suggest that they were playing "good cop, bad cop". So I don't know whether they were admitting they went a bit far, or whether I'm now 'in on it'.

Historically, I have heard the HT shout before, but this time I was the only other adult present. The HT also whisper talks within earshot of the child about them being difficult, can't wait for them to leave, etc.

If it were my child (one of whom has SEN and attends the same school), I would be taking this further. I am ashamed to say that I am afraid of doing anything in this instance and damaging my prospects at the school. Not only for myself, but for my children.

I'm not part of a union. I do have a good working relationship with other senior leaders. For what it's worth, I really enjoy working at the school, my colleagues are fantastic, and my children are thriving. There are a lot of complaints about the HT amongst staff, but they are never taken further.

In addition, I am neurodivergent, have a very strong sense of justice, and am ruminating massively. Any perspective would be really appreciated, if only to calm my anxiety about the situation. Thank you.

It's impossible to tell you if this is acceptable without having been there. Raising the voice is a tool that virtually all teachers will use from time to time and there are times when it's perfectly appropriate. Shouting because the teacher has lost their temper is a different matter, and is a sign that they have lost control of the moment (I'm not proud of it but I've certainly been there in the past).

I would be more concerned about the audible negative comments about the child which are completely unacceptable and highly unprofessional, and in your position I'd have to blow the whistle on this. HOWEVER, do not even think of doing this until you have joined a union. You are incredibly vulnerable to an allegation when working 1:1 and you must address this urgently.

Agree with above. I think all adults working with children should be in a union. And that those audible whispered comments about wanting a child to leave are incredibly unprofessional. I've never come across a headteacher who would do this.

Yes, it's very necessary to shout in certain situations. All children need to learn that poor behaviour has a consequence. So many schools have stopped shouting, stopped giving consequences, and there is utter chaos. Without knowing the child and the context, in a general sense, if a child is misbehaving, the child needs to behave and needs to learn that misbehaving results in an uncomfortable response. They will stop misbehaving won't they, if they don't like being shouted at!

Thank you for the feedback. I think because it's something I would never do, I found it quite shocking, but can see that it was probably a choice made by the HT. I'm going to make sure I keep a diary of these and any future incidents and continue to debrief the classroom teacher.

I would like to join a union, but my take home pay is only £1,190 per month, and union fees are so expensive. Taking a quick look, Unison is £10 and NEU is roughly £20 per month. I will definitely reconsider.

Don't join NEU if you are in a maintained school - they are not recognised for collective bargaining on behalf of support staff in the maintained sector and they don't sit on the national school support staff negotiating body. Ask your colleagues which union they are in. IME support staff colleagues have been usually been members of Unison or GMB, but Unite is also recognised in LA schools.

I'd go with whatever union is bigger in your school. Do you have a rep?

If you are support staff you can join Edapt. It will cost about £10 pcm, less if you are part time.
They are an amazing alternative to the conventional teaching unions who tend to get bogged down in the logistics of their own self promotion. Unison included unfortunately.
Generally very quick and easy to raise a problem and get a quick response.

However, they will tell you the same thing as any teacher union, that you should consult your school's staff conduct policy and act on that before anything else. The section about sharing concerns about your headteacher will normally be somewhere towards the end of that document.

I'd resist the temptation to discuss your HT with colleagues tbh, although maybe you could have a general chat with your SENCO about "staff shouting" and how you and the kids would respond to that. Your SENCO is normally contracted to support you as one of their support staff, not just to arrange all the intervention etc for kids.