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School strike spirals into slanging match
Accusations fly on week two of dispute
Monday, 20 October 2008
The Movilla High School crisis has deepened further as it enters a second week with striking teachers accused of abusing children’s rights.
The school in Newtownards, Co Down, will remain shut for a sixth day today after teaching unions and the South Eastern Education and Library Board (SEELB) failed to resolve the dispute which began after a pupil allegedly assaulted a member of staff.
The school’s 520 pupils have not been able to attend classes since last Monday when 25 teachers took industrial action after employers docked their pay when they refused to teach the boy accused of the assault.
Last night teachers’ union NASUWT accused SEELB of being “unable and unwilling” to make progress. The Board however hit back stating that it cannot give in to the union’s demands for the pupil to be taught in “total isolation” or requested to leave the school.
With no end in sight to the fallout, the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People entered the row. Patricia Lewsley said she was aware of the detailed circumstances of the alleged assault and that the strike was “tantamount to the corporate abuse of children’s rights”. She added that she feared the child was being “demonised”.
“I feel this individual child’s rights and the rights of every child at that school are being used as bargaining chips,” said Ms Lewsley.
She added: “I utterly condemn violence in the classroom or school yard, whether it is against or by pupils. School must be a safe, healthy environment. But the incident was of a minor nature and in my view has been blown completely out of proportion by a national trade union that is more interested in publicity than caring for pupils.
“The teachers who are striking must accept that this child is legally enrolled at Movilla High School, and has a right to be taught. The other 539 pupils have a right to be taught. The trade union’s actions have denied all the children their right to an education,” she said.
“I call on them to immediately end the strike, and get back to teaching. If they do so I pledge I will investigate the circumstances of this incident, the actions of the school and education board.”
NASUWT general secretary Chris Keats said strike action was a last resort for the teachers. “We must not forget that at the centre of this is a school where the children want to learn, teachers want to teach and the parents want progress to be made. It is disappointing that the SEELB does not appear to want to achieve this.”
The union’s Northern Ireland organiser Seamus Searson added: “Our members at Movilla want to cause as little disruption to the children’s education and wish to have children back at school as soon as possible. However the SEELB will have to buck their ideas up and quickly.”
A SEELB spokesman added: “Through the Labour Relations Agency the SEELB has made a number of offers to the trade unions in an attempt to resolve this dispute.
“The trade unions have rejected the offers and are demanding that the pupil be taught in total isolation from other pupils and teachers in the school or that the particular pupil is requested to leave the school. The Board and Board of Governors cannot accede to these demands. However the Board will continue to make itself available for further discussions to find a resolution to this dispute.”
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And perhaps the SEELB is a stuffy bureaucratic institution out of touch with reality.
Posted by John | 20.10.08, 14:22 GMT
With the broadcasting of Patricia Lewsley's comments the situation at Movilla has got further out of hand.
There is a clear line of authority in this case and the disputes procedure should be followed.
The headmaster/ headmistress should be in charge. The education board appears to be showing poor support for their management. Perhaps the department of education and its angst ridden minister(God help us), should have stepped in and taken responsibility for resolving the dispute by now.
Pat, stay out of the fray and don't be drawn into a dispute that should not be in the public domain. You are clearly responding to the siren voice of the pie-eating, porky presenter on Radio Ulster- and we know what an expert he is
Posted by dek | 20.10.08, 13:55 GMT
Yes Ms Lewsley the rights of the Children are being abused,
by not being allowed to be taught in a classroom free from
disruptive and agressive behaviour.
You are out of touch Ms Lewsley, why don't you talk to the
parents of the other children at the school ??
I think you will find they also support the teachers,
in trying to establish a suitable learning enviroment.
Posted by Parent | 20.10.08, 13:43 GMT
Teachers have let themselves down badly through the handling of this situation by the NASUWT. It is their surrender of authority, actions divorced from consequences, issues based curriculum, undermining of the law, confusion on right and wrong, values clarification agenda and the consequent fallout that have left hundreds of children denied their right to an education. Many teachers are parents - how come they don't trust other parents?
Stop crying and get back to work or face the consequences
Posted by The Parental Alliance for Choice in Education | 20.10.08, 13:12 GMT
corporal punishment needs to be brought back - a world without consiquence is just asking for trouble, knife crime, drug abuse... school is where the stage is set, and is of the greatest importance to the cognitive developement of youngsters. in my day if i got sent home for laying a hand on a teacher the authority of the school would have been the last of my worries, no form of insubordination should be accepted. a child can grow and difine itself but there is need for initial input. Studies show that behaviour is learnt not inherint. so when a child is given full authority to hit a teacher the next level is one nobody wants to think about. Turn the child over to child services, the parents obviously have no concern for their actions and this will bear bitter fruit for this child in later life.
Posted by Doug | 20.10.08, 12:18 GMT
Patricia Lewlsley has clearly come out with an opinion that is biased, so the idea of her as an impartial mediator is not practical.
NASUWT should consider taking the Childrens Commissioner up for her sallegations, daring to label a professional teachers organisation "corporate abusers".
The Commissioner has listened to the Boards Officers who seem more content with confrontation rather than showing forward thinking and getting a resolution. 6 days of strike so far, and this Board's Human Resources Officers who are tasked to deal with industrial relations are unable to get a breakthrough. Says a lot really about their professionalism as opposed to the teachers!
Posted by Brian | 20.10.08, 11:38 GMT
Minor nature maybe, but just how far do you have to go before you can make a stand for your own Rights. Once again we have people moaning about the rights of the wrong doer but not the one who was attacked. Maybe the rest of the pupils should realise their educational rights have been diminished not by the actions of teachers but by the actions of one pupil. Also, maybe the Education Minister and the ELBs should sit up and realise that teachers are no longer prepared to put up with assault in any form considering (supposedly) recent reports show that assaults on teachers is on the increase.
Posted by johnh | 20.10.08, 09:42 GMT
I read with disbelief the children's commissioner's statement. Another PC/do-gooder gone mad! All we hear is the rights of the child what about the rights of teachers.
Posted by j | 20.10.08, 08:18 GMT
Patricia's comments are offensive to all teachers.
Posted by furious teacher | 20.10.08, 08:10 GMT
Clearly Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People Patricia Lewsley has never had to face pupils on a daily basis who have no desire to learn and absolutely no respect for anyone. How would she like a working environment where, as a teacher, you are left to just get on with it, when a few disruptive, foul mouthed, aggressive kids wreck your attempts to teach for the hundredth time! Perhaps the Commissioner could give teachers a few hints as to how you can teach pupils with a long record of violent incidents within a normal classroom. This is just the tip of the iceberg! By its' own figures last year,- the Department of Education said that there were 196 pupils from post-primary schools and 70 pupils from primary schools were suspended for assaults on teachers.
Just five pupils were expelled. How many more went unreported?
Posted by TJ McClean | 20.10.08, 07:39 GMT