Echo
ABOUT 50 teachers at a Liverpool school are set to walk out amid claims of attacks, vandalism and rowdy behaviour from pupils.
The ECHO can reveal that “under siege” staff at New Heys Comprehensive will go through with the industrial action unless their demands over pupil behaviour are met.
Today headteacher Ann Stahler insisted her school’s stance on discipline was working with incidents on the slide since September.
But defiant union officials insist if the Heath Road, Allerton, school does not budge then its members (two-thirds of the teaching staff) will walk out and the city will have its first school strike for more than 20 years.
Julie Lyon-Taylor, the city’s NUT national executive member, said: “Our teachers are not being protected.”
She said the union had organised the strike as a “last resort” after 12 months negotiations claiming:
Teachers complain weekly of attacks, bad behaviour and vandalism by pupils.
Four members of staff had resigned since the start of term without finding new jobs “as they’d simply had enough”.
Pupils had threatened to damage teachers’ cars.
The school lacks clear behavioural policy and rules on mobile phones and mp3 players.
Ms Lyon-Taylor added: “I’m picking up messages on a weekly basis about our members being assaulted as well as threats to damage their cars.”
She added: “Part of the problem of pupils’ behaviour is staff feel like they are being blamed by the way they are observed in lessons by three managers armed with clip boards.
“I know four members have resigned this term alone. Striking is a last resort but the protection of staff and pupils is our prime concern.”
Ms Stahler said: “The observation of lessons is to improve the education of the children and replicate our success as a business and enterprise centre of excellence across all other departments.
“We introduced a new behaviour policy approved by staff last September and since then the number of incidents of aggressive behaviour has reduced.
“No teaching staff have left because of stress, it is usually because they are promoted and poached by other schools.”
She added CCTV had cut out vehicle vandalism and there was no evidence pupils were the culprits.
The union was due to have last ditch talks with the school this afternoon.
If nothing is resolved today the teachers will strike later this month.
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My mate is a business teacher in Leigh and did a lot of supply work early doors, some of the stories I've heard regarding discipline made me spit my beer out.
He was helping out with a PE lesson in The Parklands in Speke (formerly Speke Comp but rebranded under specila measures) and the PE Teachers was giving him some tips, he said: 'Some of them like to go home early, if any of them walk off just leave them, it's not worth the hassle.'
Now working in Leigh, he told me the school spent part of its media budget on a PS3(!) and when a schoolgirl started listening to music on the net during an IT lesson a teacher said: 'I'll let you listen to it on your headphones if you do your work'
IMO We should do what the Chinese do and make school kids do
exactly what they're fucking told, end of.
My instructor's son teaches Hong Kong schoolkids, and by the age of 12 they're all well on their way to learning four languages and playing a classical instrument, also in two years he's never even had so much as a kid talk back to him.