Yesterday was the second time DH was punched in the face at work

[OrmRenewed]

not to mention, kicked in the shin and had someone try to slam his hand in the door. And various other minor assaults.

He works as a teacher in a special school for children with behavioural problems. And he accepts it as part of the deal. He's a big bloke and tough as nails so it doesn't matter. But out of curiosity, how would the school stand if he got seriously hurt?

Just wondering.

I'm a CA in a similar postion, last week we had to expell someone for extreme behaviour. I was beaten up twice in a week, which like your DH I accept, but it was for the safety of the other pupils in the class.

Thanks coco. I guess it's not unusual. I must admit to being a bit taken aback the way he comes home and talks about it so calmly.

On both occassions the boys were sent home for a while. As you say, for everyone's sake.

What does your dh think could improve the system orm?

We have a new head who looks at it slighty different to our old one who had been a teacher herself. The new head is more like a manager and is quicker to suspend or expell pupils. She has said she has to consider the safety of the pupils involved and her staff.

He can always tell me exactly what the cause is - they boy comes into school sullen and irritable, or hyper. And it's because there's been a row at home, or he was allowed to stay up all night, or dad kicked him out so he had to sleep on a sofa at a mate's house. Some of the poor children have shit lives and (I hate to say it) shit parents.

But he doesn't see there is anything the school can do about it. They have chill-out room where pupils go when they are getting wound up or have been violent but in the end if a child is going to blow he's going to blow

So short of changing the parents and their home lives .....

How awful orm.
Does staff get paid more? They should do. Must be very stressful.
Coco - which approach do you think is best - old or new head's?

Do staff get paid more. Not does.

Schools have a duty to protect the Health and Safety of pupils and staff, so if the school were seen to not be doing enough to protect people's safety, they could in theory be prosecuted. They have liability insurance.

But in a school like the one Orm's DH works in, I'd imagine the H&S policy is fairly meaningless - impossible to absolutely guarantee safety. It's not like failing to do a Fire Risk Assessment or something.

i assume the school must have a duty of care towards your dh.

Ummm a mixture of both would be better I think.

I used to work in a SS for children with SLD/PMLD/ASD so slightly different but got attacked regularly. In my current job I work with the occaisional child with challenging behaviour and return to the office and say 'it was ok apart from the bruises on my leg' everyone looks but to me its sort of normal.

With regards to H&S the staff at my old school are insured and can claim for dental/physio/glasses etc and children are staffed by need. Individual risk assessments for in school/in community etc. All staff are trained in Team Teach (defusion/breakaway techniques) which is essential and becomes second nature v quickly.

Regards to pay TAs get SEN allowance (50p an hour) and Teachers get 1 SEN point possibly 2 (out of 3 AFAIK)

I get paid better than a CA in a mainstream school/ 'm' school. I work in an 's' school and get paid Additional Special Neesd. We also get 65p an hour extra to pay for damage to clothes etc.

I find Team Teach ok for children who are smaller than me but we strugge with the ones over 6ft.

i'm a ta in a special school for teenage boys with sebd problems. its par for the course tbh to be physically assaulted on more than a daily basis.

we are spat at, called names, jumped on etc..

i'm on the crappest of crap grade but wooo! get an extra £20 a month special schools allowance.

the lives of some of the kids are truely horredus, and generally, we build very good relationships with the kids.

i stay because quite frankly, i love it!

chimchar - DH loves it too. And as I say takes it as a given. I guess you'd have to love it to put up with it It's just me that finds it a bit shocking.

cocolepew I know TeamTeach changed their guidelines when I did my last referesher. Something like shoulder height for restraining? Which was great if you are only 5ft and working in 6thform Saw a recent article about them and it describes them as being for MS school which made me wonder whether they were backing away from SN schools.

Oh that's interesting, we're having a refresher course in August. The teacher I work with has said TT is for 12 yo and under, we work with 12-19 yo. There is a course run by an ex-prison officer he thinks would be better for us.

My refresher was 2 years ago. I have since done some work for YOT who didn't have any sort of training for these sort of situations and kept requesting it. Prisons may be a good option actually as they must use something.