[ad_1]
Teachers at a £34 million newbuild school say they are forced to lock themselves in their offices because they are treated like ‘punch bags’.
The violence at Pencoedtre High School, in Barry, Wales, is blamed on its layout which features large open balcony around a dining hall, main hall and courtyard.
Teachers say this encourages big groups of pupils to interact and fight and since September there has been 136 exclusions out of the 1,100 pupils.
Around 50 serious health and safety incidents have been reported since the start of the academic year, forcing teachers to dread work.
Staff at the school are striking on January 18, 24, 25, 31 and February 1.
Sharron Daly, a union official, said teachers are striking because ‘they feel at the end of their tether’ over the issue of pupil behaviour.
She added: ‘The threat was violent pupils. Pupils threatening physical harm to other pupils. Each incident has been either physical violence to pupils or staff or the threat of physical violence. Levels of pupil indiscipline there have been truly shocking. Staff dread doing duty there.’
‘It is the most basic of employee rights to be able to do your job without verbal and/or physical abuse. Nowhere should this be more true than in a school, where our members are employed to educate not to restrain, or to lock doors to protect other children in their care from the threat of assault, or to be used as punch bags.
‘Teachers are employed to teach and they simply cannot do that when faced with violent or extreme behaviours.’
Architects HLM designed the school with money from the Welsh government and previously said: ‘The new school will improve the social and cultural well-being of its users and facilitate a larger range of different learning requirements, intertwining both social and educational environments – a school for boys and girls to thrive.’
The Vale of Glamorgan council and the headteacher said: ‘Both the council and school are disappointed by this strike action, which comes at a time when Year 11 pupils are sitting important examinations and Year 13 students are preparing for upcoming A-Level exams.
‘We are fully aware of the issues affecting staff and are working with the NASUWT to resolve them.
‘The work taking place has been discussed with the trade union in regular meetings and includes steps to improve the working environment and update the school’s behaviour policy.’
Teachers at another school in Kent walked out on strike over unruly behaviour which prompted an angry response from locals and parents.
The teachers at Oasis Academy walked out last year and said the school was not doing enough to protect them.
It was rated inadequate by Ofsted in August 2022 because of ‘bullying, racism, homophobia, vandalism and pupils’ understanding of sexual consent’.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Get your need-to-know
latest news, feel-good stories, analysis and more
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
[ad_2]