Primary teachers on strike 'over violent pupils'

Teachers at a Salford primary school have gone on strike alleging that some pupils who are violent and abusive are not being managed safely.

Staff at Moorside Primary who are members of the NASUWT union said the school leadership was not dealing with "numerous incidents and increasing levels of violent behaviour". Eight more one-day strikes are planned.

The NASUWT trade union said it had previously delayed acting on a strike ballot in the hope the school's "chaotic" leadership would engage with its concerns. But it said members walked out after three people were assaulted by the same pupil.

A Salford City Council spokesman said it was looking to address the teachers' concerns.

Jac Casson, NASUWT national executive member for Greater Manchester, said staff and other pupils were "at risk".

She said: "No school can guarantee staff will not be assaulted but the risk can be managed - that has not been done this year."

Ms Casson said the school's new leadership had not applied policies to deal with verbal and physical abuse and, along with the governors, had ignored staff concerns.

She added: "Essentially it has not been dealt with and it wasn't until our members had been balloted that the school responded with risk assessments of particular students."

Ms Casson said staff had been regularly sworn at, punched, kicked and pushed with classrooms trashed, causing the rest of the pupils to be put into "lockdown" for their own protection.

Previously, the school had been described as "stable and happy" but the union blamed a change in leadership and management.

Ms Casson said: "We had suspended our strike plans but the governors have not worked with us and we decided to put our vote into action after an incident where three people were injured by the same student."

Salford Council said: "Teams from across the council are continuing to work closely with colleagues from the NASUWT union, the school leadership team, and governors as we look to address the concerns that have been raised and also seek a resolution to the strike action."

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