TheParagon-Education

May 31, 2013.Children’s behavior in classrooms throughout the United Kingdom has significantly degenerated in the last five years, according to a poll by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL).

“A teacher at a secondary school in Dudley said: ‘I’ve been sworn at, argued with, shouted at, had books thrown at me, threatened with physical abuse and had things stolen and broken,’” an ATL press release stated.

Another teacher told researchers about a five-year-old whose conduct “ranges from being very caring and wanting a lot of attention to swearing at staff, punching, kicking, hitting staff and other children, smashing up furniture and equipment.”

In another account, a male teacher stated, “I was cyberbullied-pupils created a pornographic Photoshop image of me.”

Of 844 ATL-member teachers, heads of school, and other support staff surveyed throughout the UK, “62% said there are more children with emotional, behavioural and mental health problems than two years ago, and 56% said there are more than five years ago.”

Almost 80 percent of those involved in the study blamed “lack of boundaries at home” as the principal reason for the spike. Other common reasons include “emotional problems (68%), wanting attention from other students (64%), a lack of positive role models at home (61%) and family breakdowns (61%).”

A 10-year-old schoolboy has been arrested after a teacher was stabbed with a pencil in Wolverhampton.
The boy was arrested on suspicion of assault at New Park School, police said.
West Midlands Police said the teacher "suffered a minor puncture wound to his arm" during what it described as an "altercation with a pupil".
The police force has a permanent presence at the site.
New Park School, in Cromer Gardens, was placed in special measures following a visit by Ofsted in February this year.

The injured 60-year-old teacher was taken to hospital for treatment but a spokesman for Wolverhampton City Council, which runs the school, said the man had returned to work.
The pupil who attends the school for students with social, behavioural and emotional difficulties has been bailed.
Ofsted inspectors during their February visit found pupil behaviour was "poor" adding the school "lacked strategies" for how to improve the situation.
The report was also critical of the then headteacher, who has since left the school, for allowing the practice of staff physically handling pupils which it was remarked put both teachers and students at undue risk.

However, inspectors also observed there were "many committed staff who have positive relationships with pupils".
In the most recent monitoring inspection, carried out in May, Ofsted found a new leadership team had worked quickly to make the school "a calmer, safer place".
It added: "Pupils are responding well to the calmer environment."
A city council spokesman said: "An incident took place at New Park School, in Whitmore Reans, Wolverhampton, where a male teacher received a puncture wound to his arm which required hospital treatment.

"West Midlands Police, who have a full time presence at the school, arrested a 10-year-old year male pupil. The member of staff was not seriously hurt and was back at work today."