Teachers Strike Due to 'Inadequate Student Conduct'
Some teachers at a high school in Ipswich have stopped work. They say bad student behavior is the cause. The teachers' union says staff will not work on Tuesday and will do the same on Wednesday. There may be more days next week.
Their union, NASUWT, says there are too many problems in lessons. Many students do not go to class. Some walk around school, bother others, and act in a scary way to staff or other students.
A person from the group that runs the school says they know there are problems. They want to talk with unions to help sort things out. The school, with about 1,000 students, says online learning will now be used for Years 7, 8, and 9 on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The union says, "A lot of students here do not go to lessons. They walk around, make noise, and act badly. This can scare staff and hurt the learning of those who want to work. Teachers ask leaders for help, but it does not work well. Some staff wait a long time for help. The teachers just want to do their job in peace. They feel let down and need more support."
More teachers from a different union have also stopped work. Ms. Walker, a teacher there, says, "We strike to speak up about these student actions. Staff feel sad and hurt. Good students want to learn, but loud and rude students stop them. No one knows what will happen each day." She says students often swear at staff, and some just leave classes. There have been times when staff were hurt by things thrown at them. She says removing students is hard and not what staff want.
The group that runs the school says, "A report in June said the school is good but noticed a few students can be hard to manage. We have added more staff and made strong plans to fix this. We will soon try a new way to help students in school. We want the school to be calm for all. We will also try not to stop learning for any student."
The trust's main leader, Nicky Hood, says, "All kids must be able to learn, but some find it hard. We have to help them. When parents work with us, we see some students do much better. We know we still have a lot to fix, and we care about our staff."
