Teacher stabbed in Teweksbury school

One of my biggest fears when my daughter was still teaching at an inner city school, was that she might be stabbed, and that was several years ago.

It seemed to have a good staff:pupil ratio, though, unless things have changed recently.

It is a constant worry, I know of at least two local incidents of stabbings many years ago and neither person is anyone you could imagine would hurt anyone. Both were driven to such extremes by months or years of bullying. No excuse at all, I know. But this has escalated and it seems it is the norm for young people to carry knives to defend themselves now. It is poignant that the Knife Angel was recently in nearby Gloucester.

There seem to be more angry people now than years ago and I worry for our youngsters who are old enough to star going out and about without their parents or carers.

I've visited this school on a number of occasions and it had always had a good reputation, used to be judged good with some outstanding features but last inspection was judged as requiring improvement. It's not a huge school and currently has places available, which will have a significant impact on it's budget. Gloucestershire has been one of the most poorly funded education authorities in the country and this school has always been chronically short of money, even more than most schools in other better funded authorities and unlike schools in disadvantaged cities, there's little unemployment but wages can be very low but above the level for free school meals so it it doesn't get a lot of PP. Although there's a problem with drugs/county lines in Gloucester and surrounding areas I'd be surprised if the school has any more problems than most other rural/small town secondary schools, it just needs more money so it can have more staff and mend the roof (so to speak).

Over large schools may be a problem but am thinking this sort of thing could happen in just about any school of any size sadly.Knife carrying is everywhere and grudges against staff can happen anywhere.

That’s the interview I referred to Kate59. I agree Callistemon, the size of many high schools is an issue. The counter argument if there are heads of year who should know the pupils in their year group. I believe huge, impersonal institutions bring stresses, enable bullying and disruptive behaviour.

“Currently, its items smashed, toilets blocked with fittings, flooded etc. he said if they paint over offensive, homophobic, racist graffiti, the next day graffiti accusing them of ‘stopping us expressing ourselves’ appears.”

Are the lunatics really running the assylum, is this a school totally removed from reality.

It was reported on the news that the teacher has been discharged from hospital, thankfully.

Are some schools just too large now? How can a Head Teacher know all the pupils and anything about most of them if there are 2,000 pupils in a secondary school?
Pastoral care seems to be more necessary now too but is sadly lacking in many schools.

It’s been a long road Iam. Before Covid lockdown there was deteriorating behaviour in every age group in schools, but particularly in secondary schools. After Covid it appears it’s getting worse. Whilst I think that Covid lockdowns have had a negative impact on children’s mental health, I don’t think lockdowns have made children’s behaviour worse. I just think that poor behaviour in schools is the direction of travel sadly. I worked in an infant school and I’ve been retired for ten years, but all those years ago we had a child bring a knife into school. Luckily he was showing off with it and so staff were quickly alerted and it was removed from him. He was seven years old!
This latest incident makes me wonder about the boy’s mental health, although it is highly likely that he has been misbehaving for some years. These incidents rarely happen out of the blue.
I used to attend NUT meetings (it’s not called NUT anymore) and we were regularly told the numbers of attacks/knife incidents etc on teachers every year even then, all those years ago, and they were many. I’ve no reason to think those attacks on teachers are now fewer, I expect they’re growing in number.
This appears to have been a bad attack and the teacher had to be rushed to hospital. I hope he or she makes a good recovery, but it wouldn’t surprise me if this person never wants to set foot in a classroom again.

Not directly linked but, a piece I heard on radio 4 lunch time news covered the level of vandalism in school toilets. The member of staff (caretaker?) said vandalism escalated after lock down. Previously it would be graffiti, toilet paper pushed into toilets. Currently, its items smashed, toilets blocked with fittings, flooded etc.
he said if they paint over offensive, homophobic, racist graffiti, the next day graffiti accusing them of ‘stopping us expressing ourselves’ appears.
There are reports of increasing mental health problems amongst children.
What is going so badly wrong for our children that schools are struggling to manage

It is really frightening.
He was found several miles from the school and the knife was still on him.

It's the kind of things you imagine might happen in inner cities but Tewkesbury??