Weather: Hi 4°C / Lo 2°C
‘Pay cut’ as teachers refuse to teach 'bully'
Saturday, 11 October 2008
Print
Email
Teachers at a Co Down school are to walk out next week after a pupil attacked one of their colleagues.
They take action on Monday at Movilla High School, Newtownards. Union representatives claimed management docked their pay when staff refused to teach the child.
NASUWT union organiser Seamus Searson said: “After a period of industrial action in which teachers were not allowed to teach their classes where the pupil was present and suffered punitive and disproportionate deduction of salaries, the NASUWT has been forced to escalate to all-out continuous strike action.”
Mr Searson added the union took assaults very seriously.
“Our members have been effectively bullied into backing down but have stood firm. All along we have made it clear that our members want to continue teaching their classes but this particular pupil needs a new start with specialised support.
“Unfortunately this has not happened and we have had a situation where our members have been teaching at the school but without being paid.”
Mr Searson said the pupil concerned should be moved to a suitable environment where the offending behaviour could be addressed.
“Clearly we cannot tolerate a situation where our members are not paid for the work they are doing and where, in effect, all the pupils are being punished for the behaviour of one,” he added.
“The failure of the South Eastern Education and Library Board to provide proper support for this pupil is having a devastating impact on teachers and students alike.”
Neither the Board nor the school provided a comment.
Post a comment
Limit: 500 characters
View all comments that have been posted about this article
Offensive or abusive comments will be removed and your IP address logged and may be used to prevent further submissions. In submitting a comment to the site, you agree to be bound by BelfastTelegraph.co.uk's Terms of Use.
Posts submitted in UPPERCASE letters will be rejected.
I fully support the teachers in their action. They are to be congratulated on standing up and being counted.
Posted by RD | 14.10.08, 17:22 GMT
i go to the sckool this is an outrage
Complain about this comment
Posted by Bennett, ards | 12.10.08
Then the teachers have a lot of explaining to do! You can't even spell school or use capitalization
Posted by Sean | 13.10.08, 17:07 GMT
The teachers at Movilla High School are doing the right thing by striking! Why on earth are they being forced to teach a pupil who attacks them!! As a parent of a year 8 child attending Movilla..i feel this bully should be removed from the school,,if he can assault a teacher.. what can he do to another younger pulil????
The education board should support thier schools...its a total outrage!!!
Posted by parent | 13.10.08, 13:45 GMT
If I got hit in my workplace, I would not expect to have to continue working with the person who assaulted me. Also, where are the health and safety people on this one?
Also, what actions have the school taken to make sure this doesn't happen again? If another teacher gets assaulted do they have a health and safety case?
Posted by susan g | 13.10.08, 07:57 GMT
The true issue here is not pay cuts but a member of the teaching staff was assaulted by this pupil. In response to 'puzzled parent' I am sure you are entitled to work in your job in a safe environment and this pupil is not just a health risk to staff but also other students.
Lets also realise that if the teacher had assaulted the student they would have been plastered over the media and immediately sacked. In response to your 'Corporal Punishment' we are not a barbaric society.
What message do we send to young people if they see that it is acceptable to assault each other and have no consequences.
It seems in todays society all sense of right, wrong and common sense has gone out the window for pc nonsense.
I find it frightening that the School and Education Board will not support their own staff. Hopefully they will grow a back bone soon so the whole thing does not escalate further.
Posted by frustrated fellow teacher | 13.10.08, 07:21 GMT
i go to the skool this is an outrage
Posted by Bennett, ards | 12.10.08, 22:25 GMT
The lesson here seems to be " If the alleged black sheep is not removed from the pen the farmer will refuse to feed the entire flock"
Teachers, their unions are the ELBs have been entirely happy to impose comprehensive education and silly ideas on pupils. Perhaps they need to reflect upon their self interested navel gazing before crying to the media about their inability to control pupil behaviour. Wasn't the issue of corporal punishment raised recently and teachers objected to its return?
Posted by Puzzled Parent | 12.10.08, 10:22 GMT
This is a disgrace. What is the Principal doing??? I definiteltly would not want my child to go to a school where it is o.k. to assault a teacher.
Posted by Rob | 12.10.08, 09:50 GMT
Very one-sided reportage. If they are not getting paid, they're breaking their contracts. THey are refusing to teach a child at te school, if the child is at the school, he is entitled to be taught. This is the same union that is campaigning for the decriminalization of pupil/teacher sex.
Posted by Gregory Carlin | 12.10.08, 06:18 GMT
The lunatics are running the asylum!! Support the teachers and kick the bully out. We all hate bullies. You know what-tuff luck on the bully, he deserves all he gets. Sorry he is getting rewarded isn't he? It is crazy. Get back to basics, and reality. No matter what his background is, he still has the choice and the mindset to be a bully or not. He is responsible for his own actions. It is nothing to do with single parent families or neighbourhood one grows up in. It is to do with how you are brought up. Best wishes to the teachers, and hopefully their actions speak louder than words.
Posted by canuck | 11.10.08, 21:43 GMT
This seems to be typical of the attitude of the education authority nowadays. My niece attends a school in the western board area and a girl in her class is bullying others. The headmaster says nothing can be done because she is from a one parent family. What will the world be like when they are grown up?
Posted by nos | 11.10.08, 16:28 GMT
Disgraceful situation where bullies dictate what happens in our schools. Shame on the SELB.
Posted by Kevin | 11.10.08, 15:34 GMT
I actually had to read the article twice. Im shocked. Absolutely disgusting that the poor teacher(s) get a cut in their pay..
Posted by Rob | 11.10.08, 15:30 GMT
no persion should have to put up with this never mind not getting paid. 100% with the teachers and the other children, we no longer put up with so many other things why should anyone still have thos problem when all ur doing is trying to have a days work. If it was the teacher they would be removed whats the delay in the child being removed.
Posted by Wesley | 11.10.08, 10:48 GMT
No wonder bullying is rife in our schools when this is Mrs Ruanes'
South Eastern Education and Library Board Department of education policy. This is an absolute scandal with teachers expected to somehow teach abusive and violent pupils.
Posted by T J McClean | 11.10.08, 10:13 GMT