Teachers at this Stockport high school are being attacked - 'they should be able to feel safe'

Teachers at a Stockport high school say they're being verbally and physically assaulted by pupils. Amid growing concerns about the behaviour of students at Werneth School, strike action is being planned by members of the teachers' union NASUWT.

Staff say that recent changes to working practices at the school have led to 'a breakdown of behaviour management systems' and 'an increase in disruptive and violent behaviour from pupils which is not being addressed effectively by trust leadership'.

Four days of action was due to begin on Thursday (December 12) but was called off at the 11th hour after the employer, the Education Learning Trust (ELT), 'engaged in positive talks' with union leaders.  Three further days of strike action are scheduled for next week, from December 17 to 19, but whether they go ahead depends on the outcome of the talks.

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Jac Casson, NASUWT national executive member for Stockport, said: “The management of pupil behaviour systems have broken down which has resulted in an unacceptable increase in low level disruption and defiance from students. But more concerning is the frequency of verbal and physical assaults on our members.

“They should be able to feel safe in their workplace and at present they do not feel that the employer is treating this with the seriousness it should. Members are no longer prepared to sacrifice their safety.”

Back in January we reported how the Romiley school had been given the lowest 'inadequate' Ofsted grade.  Inspectors raised concerns over pupil behaviour saying some 'use rude and offensive language to others' and that 'poor behaviour is not dealt with well enough'.

The report was published in wake of the sudden departure of headteacher Andrew Conroy last Christmas, who wrote to parents saying he was 'leaving today to take up a new role in Manchester' and that, after the holidays, Pam Foy would be acting headteacher. Since then David Goddard has been appointed permanent headteacher of the school, which was placed in special measures in 2020 and became an academy school in January 2021 when it joined the Education Learning Trust.

NASUWT General Secretary, Dr Patrick Roach, said: “Significant changes to working practices introduced without proper consultation with staff are having a negative impact on pupil behaviour and on our members' workload. Whilst we have provided the employer with ample opportunity and time to discuss members' concerns about their safety and welfare, we have encountered delay and procrastination."

Prior to this week's action being called off, he said: "The efforts of the Trust to avert strike action are too little too late. The employer must now recognise its responsibilities to staff and agree to enter into genuine and constructive dialogue with us on how teachers can be provided with a working environment which keeps them safe and in which they feel valued and respected. ”

With talks between both parties commencing, the union said: "The employer has engaged in positive talks and we have agreed to suspend action based on this," while the Trust reiterated the stance, adding: "We are having constructive conversations with the NASUWT.”

The union says it will review the further strike days 'once we have the chance to see whether commitments made by the Trust are addressing the issues'.

Ofsted inspectors, who visited the site last October, said 'the school, together with the local governing body and the trust, has not demonstrated the capacity to improve pupils' behaviour and attendance in a sustainable way'. They added 'many pupils, parents, carers and staff are concerned about pupils' behaviour' and despite some changes to behaviour management policies, 'some pupils continue to have their learning disrupted by the poor behaviour of others'.

Attendance was highlighted as another problem at the 1,080-pupil school, with high rates of absence and persistent absence, especially for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.

Earlier this year the Education and Learning Trust said it was 'identified by the Department of Education to sponsor and support Werneth School' when it was first graded Inadequate and says that 'despite significant challenge, the school has brought about improvements'.

In a statement following the Ofsted report, it said: "During the Inspection in October 2023, the behaviour of some children was reported upon in a negative way and inspectors felt that improvements to behaviour were not happening as quickly as they could.

"As such, the Education Learning Trust has chosen to make links with a highly successful Trust to support Werneth and its work on improving behaviour. This means that the school and families will have to make firm changes that will allow the school to focus on building a partnership with parents and carers to improve behaviour at a quicker pace."

At the same time, the Trust added that the school was 'working to maintain the support and confidence of parents as essential partners' and said the new behaviour regime had 'been extremely well supported by parents and improvements to behaviour already notable'.