Teachers on strike over 'poor pupil behaviour'

Teachers at a secondary school have striked over poor student behaviour, their union representatives said.

Some teachers at Westbourne Academy in Ipswich refused to work on Tuesday and said they would carry on their action on Wednesday, with further strike days planned for next week.

The National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) cited "untenable levels of classroom disruption" including pupils refusing to attend lessons and "roaming the school".

A spokesperson for Academy Transformation Trust, which runs the school, said it "recognised the challenges" and was working with union representatives "to understand concerns and to support all colleagues".

The school, which has about 1,000 pupils, said that learning would be moved online for Years 7, 8 and 9 on Tuesday and Wednesday.

"A large group of pupils at Westbourne Academy are refusing to attend lessons and instead choose to roam the school, disrupting other lessons and engaging in threatening behaviour towards staff and other pupils," the NASUWT said in a statement.

"Teachers have sought help from school leadership but no plan has worked in practice, with teachers often waiting for most or all of their lessons for urgent assistance."

It said its members at the school "just want to conduct their lessons in safety and peace".

"They feel abandoned by school leaders and desperate for effective support."

Members of the National Education Union (NEU) have also taken strike action.

Speaking from the picket line, science teacher and NEU representative at the school, Sophie Walker, said the teachers were striking to "make a stand against the behaviours of students... to make a point that enough is enough".

She said issues faced by the staff were affecting their well-being and mental health "as well as the students who come in day-in, day-out, do the right thing and want to have an education".

Ms Walker said: "You come in every day and don't know what you're going to expect - that's the nature of being a teacher."

She said pupils would swear at teachers and some students would just walk out of lessons.

There have been physical assaults as well, with staff having had chairs and scissors thrown at them.

"It grinds you down every day," she added.

She said although action had been taken, the route to expelling a pupil involved a number of steps and it was "not an option we want to do, as a school".

The Academy Transformation Trust said in a statement: "Following Ofsted's visit in June 2024, which rated Westbourne as a good school overall, we have acted with pace and purpose to respond to their feedback regarding the behaviour of a minority of pupils.

"This includes providing additional staffing and strengthening leadership.

"We are currently planning out a new approach to manage pupil conduct and how pupils are organised within the school, which will start after half term.

"This is all aimed at creating a calmer, more focused environment for learning for all."

It added the school was "committed to achieving lasting improvement while minimising any disruption to pupils".

Nicky Hood, the academy trust's executive principal, said: "It's right and proper that every child has a right to an education - not every child finds that easy and it's right and proper that there are checks and balances to ensure that everything is done to help those young people engage in their education.

"Where parents really engage with the academy we've seen some really strong improvement in some of our young people.

"We recognise that the improvement journey continues... and the well-being of our staff is really important."

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