The environment in which your child is expected to learn is just as important as the education they receive, and both are enormously important factors when it comes to your child's overall development. As a parent or guardian, you need to know that the school your child attends is a safe place. If you're concerned that a violent pupil could be putting your child at risk and you feel the school are not doing enough to remedy a potentially damaging situation, there are procedures in place for you to make a formal complaint.
If the standard of the children's behaviour in any school or classroom is uniformly high, then everyone at the school benefits. Teachers can get on with their jobs without having to waste time disciplining rowdy children, and the children themselves are able to concentrate on learning in a stable and safe environment. Sadly, when there is persistently poor behaviour, an entire class can suffer as a result. This is particularly upsetting in cases where just one or two pupils are behaving badly and destroying the peaceful and scholarly atmosphere for everyone else.
All schools have procedures in place to deal with violent pupils...
Every school seeks to promote good behaviour and to reward pupils who perform well and show respect to their peers, but of course, even with the best will in the world, there will always be some pupils who struggle to maintain these standards. Schools must therefore have recourse to a range of sanctions that they can impose upon pupils who misbehave. These sanctions include:
- a verbal reprimand, which will be the first course of action, followed by a written reprimand in the form of a letter to the child's parents or carers
- loss of privileges and/or detention
- removal from class
Teachers are also permitted to physically restrain children if it is deemed necessary to do so, in order to stop them hurting other pupils or indeed themselves, damaging property or causing serious disruption. Any children who are consistently aggressive, disruptive or violent and do not alter their behaviour in the face of the above sanctions risk being suspended and ultimately, expelled from school.
If you feel that your child's education is being disrupted and their safety threatened by a disruptive or violent pupil, and the school is not acting to rectify the situation, you have every right to complain.
Making a complaint to your child's school
In cases where you are concerned about a violent pupil in your child's class, you will no doubt already have spoken to the class teachers and maybe even the head about the situation. If not, this would be your first course of action. After which, you should put your complaint in writing and send it to the head teacher of the school and if you still don’t receive any kind of satisfactory response, your next step should be to send a written complaint to the school’s board of governors.
If you would appreciate some assistance in helping to try and persuade your child's school to make its classrooms safer, Match Solicitors is here to help. Talk to one of our team of specialist education solicitors today, in confidence, about your child's situation. We will be more than happy to advise you as to your best course of action.
