Striking teachers walked out of class today in fury at being ‘punchbags’ for violent pupils at a high school – while its head runs two chip shops after classes.
Comprehensive head Lee Humphreys, 44, is facing a series of walkouts after staff voted for action to protect teachers from being battered by unruly pupils.
Unions say teachers are having to lock doors at Pencoedtre School in Barry, South Wales, to protect themselves and their classes from violent teenagers.
But Mr Humphreys already has a lot on his plate – he runs his own after-school side job at two chip shops run with his wife Sam.
He owns Fish Kitchen 1854 in Maesycwmmer, Caerphilly, as well as a second restaurant Fish Kitchen 1931 in nearby Bargoed and works two nights a week.
Unions praised his ‘positive influence’ at the school – but he will still see dozens of members of the NASUWT Cymru union walk out in a move that means it can only open for exam-year pupils.
Head teacher Lee Humphreys already has a lot on his plate – he runs his own after-school side job at two chip shops run with his wife Sam
Head teacher Lee Mr Humphreys already has a lot on his plate – he runs his own after-school side job at two chip shops run with his wife Sam.
Sharron Daly, Nasuwt national executive for the area, said teachers ‘dread’ working at the school.
She warned the local council has ‘failed to adequately protect the health, safety and well-being of our members and the majority of the pupils they teach.’
She said that since the start of the school year there have been more than 50 serious health and safety incidents, involving violence, or threats of violence from pupils towards staff and other children.
She said: ‘The threat was violent pupils. Pupils threatening physical harm to other pupils. Each incident has been either physical violence to pupils or staff or the threat of physical violence. Levels of pupil indiscipline there have been truly shocking. Staff dread doing duty there.
‘It is the most basic of employee rights to be able to do your job without verbal and/ or physical abuse. Nowhere should this be more true than in a school, where our members are employed to educate not to restrain, or to lock doors to protect other children in their care from the threat of assault, or to be used as punchbags.
Comprehensive head Lee Humphreys, 44, is facing a series of walkouts after staff voted for action to protect teachers from being battered by unruly pupils.
‘Teachers are employed to teach and they simply cannot do that when faced with violent or extreme behaviours.
‘Sadly at Pencoedtre, despite the positive influence of the executive headteacher and a willingness on behalf of the current school management to resolve these issues and deal appropriately with the small number of pupils for whom a mainstream setting is not meeting their complex needs; the local authority is currently failing in it’s statutory duty of care to both pupils and staff.
‘Negotiations with management are positive, however the local authority has so far refused to implement the range of practical solutions put forward by the executive headteacher and the NASUWT. It is this refusal that has ultimately our members to the very last resort they have, strike action.’
In a joint statement Vale of Glamorgan council and the headteacher said: ‘Both the council and school are disappointed by this strike action, which comes at a time when Year 11 pupils are sitting important examinations and Year 13 students are preparing for upcoming A-Level exams.
‘We are fully aware of the issues affecting staff and are working with the Nasuwt to resolve them.
‘The work taking place has been discussed with the trade union in regular meetings and includes steps to improve the working environment and update the school’s behaviour policy.
‘All staff will undergo specialist, ongoing training, with a significant number involved in training this week. This professional development is designed to improve teaching and learning.
A further five days of walk outs are planned for January 18, 24, 25, 31 and February 1 unless the dispute is resolved before that, the Nasuwt said.
Pencoedtre, which has more than 900 pupils, was put into special measures by standards body Esytn – Wales’ equivalent to Ofsted – last year.
Estyn said high rates of persistent absence and low attendance at the school were ‘of significant concern’.