I’m a Cover Supervisor and I just walked out.

[tellmesomethingtrue]

At the end of my tether. Pupils have been shouting at me, arguing with me for 3 hours straight today. I’ve told HR that I can’t cope with the final lesson and I’ve gone to sit in my car. I welcome the classes pleasantly, I am organised and the kids know me. Just because “I’m a sub” they are disrespectful and just awful. As soon as another teacher comes in to support me, the kids are fine. Today, I’ve sent 9 pupils to work elsewhere and called SLT three times. On the verge of (another) panic attack, enough is enough. I don’t think employment should be like this. Usually half the class are absolutely fine, do the right thing and work. Surely their parents would be mortified.

Thanks for your supportive comments. Xx

😀

I am not surprised you are feeling frustrated - it is a tough job. But you are doing the right things - sending them out, calling for SLT and not putting up with poor behaviour. I have seen so many cover supervisors try to get down with the kids by being pals with them - I hated seeing that! Stand your ground and be consistent - they will soon see that you will follow through with your threats.

I used to think this… But my current school (a really nice school!) has cameras and you won’t believe how many parents will watch the video of their child damaging property/physically assaulting another student/stealing a phone etc. and then either:

• Deny what they’ve just seen with their own eyes ‘But John would just never do that, it’s so out of character!’
• Blame another student ‘But Billy was doing it too/encouraged him to do it, what are you doing about Billy!?’
• Blame the teacher ‘Why weren’t you supervising while my child was truanting class and stole another student’s phone?!’

I no longer believe that cameras are the answer, unfortunately.

I'm a supply teacher in primary schools, and often, that's bad enough! I wouldn't touch secondary with a barge pole!

I flat out refuse to teach Year 6 from post-SATs onwards. They go from bubbly but manageable, to flat out unteachable. I know quite a lot of other supply teachers who say the same.

Teaching is not for the faint hearted.
But cover teaching is on another level.

I do remember a woman telling me that she simply does not care.
She is there to get paid and keep the children safe - if it means getting them removed, giving detentions, contacting parents etc (apart from the extra work) then so be it.
She said she’s not concerned about their learning and just focuses on behaviour management.

Taking away that pressure of them needing to do their work, having perfect classroom management (and remember that I was a twat at school too) really helped me.

You couldn’t pay me to do it again though!

I am so glad I left primary teaching recently after 20 plus years in. I tried supply after that but it was almost as bad! Nothing - nothing - would get me back in the classroom. Especially not now at 45 with peri and a 5 yo of my own!

I teach in an alternative provision, so we are the very end of the line, after managed moves, exclusions, a PRU or two, then there is us.

We have students who cant manage mainstream for diagnosed needs or legitimate reasons, and then we have those who can manage in mainstream but choose not too. And it it is those whose parents turned a blind eye long ago to discipline and boundaries.

Prior to being in the AP I taught at mainstream college, I have 20 years experience. Things get worse every year...it is shocking....but the root of why things are getting worse in the last few years is phones and social media. The things these children access on there, and get up to on there is frightening. I complete safeguarding logs every single day over something or other. Guess what, their parents dont care 🤷‍♀️

Solidarity to you OP....its a very tough job and you have to be even tougher yourself....Ive only ever had 1 instance where i was broken down completely but it was a colleague that did it, not the kids. I find my job so rewarding, but so draining and sad at times 😢

I remember shadowing a group of secondary students as part of pre teacher training and two had a full on fight in their art class (the boy had been winding the girl up all day and she ended up going for him). The teacher very calmly asked me to go and fetch someone. There was no-one else in the classroom, God knows what he did usually. I don’t think parents are fully aware of what some schools are like.

My dh worked as a supply teacher for over 20 years. He even won supply teacher of the year for the UK a few years ago. Then they brought in Cover Supervisors and his supply teaching work almost dried up. Schools were suddenly able to use absolutely anyone as cheap cover, no qualifications needed, just experience of working in a school (even just volunteering to help kids read in the past was sufficient) and a clean DBS. Schools were no longer obliged to employ qualified supply teachers to cover classes. This wasn't fair on the students, the supply teachers or the cover supervisors who often found themselves out of their depth. The amount of times my dh went into a school and was told by frustrated kids how sick they were of not having a specialist teacher in their subject to teach them, particularly near exam time. However, there is no excuse for bad behaviour from the kids and all supply, whether cover supervisors or qualified teachers, deserve respect. I'm sorry you've had such a bad experience.

I'm a cover manager in a high school and totally understand OP. I have had my staff come to me after difficult lessons and i wait until the regular teacher is back in and go into the lessons and speak to them in front of the class. That often works quite well.

I also call home, have their SLT lead call home and give out detentions like I'm Oprah!! Oh and I refuse to dismiss a loud class, wasting their break time has quite the impact. A parent complained and I pointed out their child was being so disruptive they wouldnt hear me dismiss them anyway!

I also make calls home when I see exceptionallybgood behaviour and lots of effort and give out rewards to every child who deserves it. Put lovely comments in planners to ahow parents and go into lessons to give the positive feedback too.

Apparently, I am terrifying and some kids dread me turning up in their lessons because they know I take no nonsense and I have a radio so can get staff to the class quickly. To be fair most kids are great for me because they know I will keep classes under control.

Cover is probably the worst job in a school and we are exceptional for dealing with the rubbish we put up with fornthe pay we are offered.

Their year leader should definitely let their parents know. They should also spend some time in a different setting. I wish parents could see how some pupils behave in school, it’s beyond acceptable. Hope you get support moving forward.

Only ever had one head teacher tell the kids in assemblies that all staff were to be treated with respect - cleaners, dinner ladies etc were all to be respected and had the same sanctions

The sanctions stood regardless of excuses.

The school was a different place after a couple of years.

Head teachers need to make a stand.

Oh and I will add - as a parent I would want to know! My kids wouldn’t get away with that at home and certainly not in a classroom.

OP this sounds like hell on earth and I hope you are at home now and maybe feeling a bit better. I have no advice to offer as it is (thankfully) not in my sphere of experience. The only contact I have with secondary school children is when they are on public transport and I have seen some utter horrors on there, loud, crude, scrapping with each other and being vile to the driver who did stop the bus and refuse to move until they sat down and shut up. Horrendous behaviour, in retrospect I wish I had emailed the school

OP, I am so sorry.

My DH is an experienced teacher but now actively seeking a job to do almost anything else, purely because of the appalling behaviour of the students and complete lack of concern from the parents. He worked hard to gain his qualifications and works harder still in his own time preparing work to get the students the qualifications they need for their chosen career or university. He cares about the students and has had a great deal of success. These days though, there is no point in preparing much work. The students just scream, shout, throw things and swear at him. The parents just shrug or blame someone else, and the behaviour continues. Students get temporary exclusions but, on return, the behaviour continues.

There was a very recent thread where the poster's 15 year old had sworn at the teacher and refused to leave the classroom when asked, yet the parent was actually unhappy at the school. Sums it all up really. I wonder how the parents of students who behave like this would cope if they were verbally abused on this level in their own jobs for several hours a day, every single day.

Apart from finding a better school or leaving education altogether, I don't know what the answer is OP, but having witnessed the devastating effect this type of behaviour has had on my OH, I can only send you a hug and hope that something good comes along for you soon 💐

Is there any assertiveness training you could do?

Children can sense what they can get away with as soon as a teacher walks into the room. I've seen the same students react in opposite ways to different teachers. If you show any weakness the boisterous children will devour you to entertain their class-mates.

You absolutely need to start calling parents. Act is if you are teacher. I did cover for a year but now work in pastoral.

Do you set detentions yourself or is done by the faculty? I also think it’s good when the teacher you are covering also issues a detention as well as you.

If there are regular characters, ask for them to be pre-parked.

Because it's more work. This is policy in many secondaries and teachers end up spending 30 minutes after school emailing or ringing parents and receiving abuse and for what? Many don't support the school. I can assure you 99% is a vast overestimation. A child misbehaves but it's the teacher who is essentially penalised by leaving 30 minutes later that day. It should be followed up by SLT, not class teachers (or cover supervisors).

Has the HT been in contact??

Will you be walking back in tomorrow?

Oh that more parents were like you. ☹️

I can promise you 99% of parents do not want to know. And even those that claim to want to know, do absolutely nothing then wonder why junior is still living with them, not working and playing games til 3am at the age of 28

Apologies @Clumpled I meant to tag @Gloopsy Why wouldn't you let the parents know their offspring's disgraceful behaviour?
99% of us want to know

Why don’t schools do this? It could solve a lot of problems.

I think it’s more than “wind the cover teacher” up from what I hear from those working in schools and what is published about the drop out rate of qualified teachers. Behaviour has got much worse since COVID and is a real issue for many teaching staff. I feel we must consistently call out poor behaviour otherwise how are the children going to manage in the outside world but it is a relentless task.

So it's ok to treat adults like OP has been then? Good grief.
head on over to SEND. (Mostly) lovely and supportive. In my opinion before anyone jumps on me