A school paid for a petting zoo, inflatables and sport sessions to keep pupils occupied while teachers walked out in a row over "vile" behaviour. Teachers at Ysgol Nantgwyn in Tonypandy accused the headteacher and management of “rewarding bad behaviour” .
Teachers described the school as "hostile" environment where they are regularly called the c-word, sworn at and threathened. Large teenage boys have "circled" women staff in corridors and in one instance a boy dropped his trousers infront of a member of staff, they said.
As members of the Nasuwt teaching union prepare to strike again they accused the school of failing to take action over behaviour also including violence, sexualised insults, threats and “multiple thefts from bags” by pupils. The union said the school should have shut if cover staff could not be arranged during the stike, but instead paid for fun activities instead of lessons .
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The Nasuwt said the school hired in Merthyr based A&S Animal Encouters to entertain pupils bringing in animals including Armadillos, snakes, meerkats and Tonyrefail based Sporting Marvels when 35 teachers walked out on strike on October 9 and 10..
“The school brought in a bouncy castle and assault course and a private company to run activities....the message to children is if you misbehave you’ll be rewarded with bouncy castles and an afternoon off the timetable,” said Sharron Daly, Nasuwt national executive for the area covering Ysgol Nantgwyn.
Teachers, who did not want to be named for fear of reprisals, described coming in to work as "demeaning and demoralising". They said they were walking out after months of talks had failed to see an effective behaviour policy introduced by the school.
One said: "Being sworn at has become a regular occurrence, we've had thefts from staff bags by pupils, female staff have faced sexualised language from male pupils, and many staff and pupils have felt threatened and intimidated by other pupils. Management did nothing to resolve this, only Nasuwt action and a collective refusal to teach aggressive pupils has had any impact.
"There have been homophobic comments to staff that again have not been dealt with. We've also experienced physical assault with pupils throwing chairs at staff and upending tables.
"Pupils are getting away with everything, there are no consequences. We all know children will push boundaries, but it is setting them up to fail later in life if we do not correct these behaviours and make our pupils responsible for their actions.
"Management do not get this. They are amending teachers' reports of aggressive behaviour and even intimidating younger members of staff to downgrade the seriousness of incidents."
Teachers said incidents they endure at Ysgol Nantgwn include:
Ms Daly said the school was only been able to run some GCSE classes on the strike days on October 9 and 10 with most pupils sent to the off timetable sessions in the sports hall during the walk outs. She said Sporting Marvels, which describes itself on its website as a Christian charity based in the Rhondda and Mini Mayhem Soft, a bouncy castle hire firm based in Tonyrefail, were brought in on the first strike day and a petting zoo company and Mini Mayhem on the second day.
Teachers said the situation at the 1,000+-pupil all-age school is so bad it’s affecting their home lives and some are looking for jobs elsewhere. The union said behaviour had got so bad it was not safe for staff or pupils, many of whom want to learn and are having their education disrupted.
One teacher accused the school and local education authority of not taking action for fear of the negative impact on its exclusion and attendance data.
“The current situation at the school is quite hostile. Pupils have thrown chairs at staff and assaulted each other, which the senior leadership team does not deal with,” the teacher said.
“Senior members of staff have instilled a blame culture on teachers in which we are intimidated into downgrading serious behavioural issues in order to make behaviour figures seem better than they should be.
“Staff are finding the school a very unsettling place to be with many staff feeling unhappy and sick at the thought of what they may be blamed for or intimidated into changing records for that day."
Describing a recent day at the school the union said one of its members experienced their worst case of verbal abuse in 30 years of teaching: “Two pupils were truanting a lesson. When brought to the lesson 10 minutes late by a senior teacher our member told the pupils they would lose 10 mins of their lunch to make up the time.
“One of the pupils exploded in anger, swore repeatedly, called our member a “fat old c*** in front of the whole class over and over. He then proceeded to hit the door, continuing to swear.
“The senior staff member managed to get the pupil out through the door, but all the while he was continuing to swear and shout the same vile words. A short time later the pupil returned to the class and did the same, swearing again and banging the door.”
The Nasuwt said further strike days have been set for November 6, 13, 27 and 28 and nine dates through December, January and February the situation at the school is resolved.
Asked about behaviour at the school and cost of activities for pupils on the strike days, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council , on behalf of the school, said: “School leaders and senior council officers have been engaging positively and productively with Nasuwt and its members. It’s disappointing that the dispute continues despite everyone’s efforts to resolve it.
“The school has an existing behaviour policy in place, which has been the focus of consultation. Following feedback from Nasuwt on behalf of its members, proposed amendments to this policy have been undertaken to address issues of concern. We hope that following further consultation, any remaining issues are resolved."
The council said the school had a positive inspection in April 2023, with no major concerns about learner behaviour identified. Estyn noted that, as a result of a new behaviour system, behaviour of nearly all pupils of primary age is consistently good and many secondary aged pupils behave well.
The statement continued: ”Additional concerns were formally raised by NASUWT in December 2023 to the school, and in February 2024 to the council. Since then, many improvements have been made, leading to better student behaviour and engagement, which Nasuwt members have recognised. The school is committed to continuing these improvements.
“Recent staff training sessions on improving student behaviour received positive feedback. We hope that further review of behaviour policies will ensure consistency in managing challenging behaviour of a minority of learners.
“It’s important to recognise the positive behaviour and dedication of most students and the school’s commitment to inclusive education. We will continue working with Nasuwt and its members to resolve all outstanding issues.
“The wellbeing of our learners and workforce is of paramount importance and the claim that Nasuwt members have been targeted is refuted in the strongest possible terms.”
"In regards to the sporting Marvels - There is an ongoing arrangement between the school and Sporting Marvels throughout the year."
The Nasuwt said further strike days have been set for November 6, 13, 27 and 28 and nine dates through December, January and February unless the situation is resolved.
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