Sophie Walker, a science teacher at Westbourne Academy in Ipswich, has reached a breaking point after enduring years of challenging student behavior. Ten years into her teaching career, Walker finds herself joining 50 colleagues on a strike, protesting against the increasingly disruptive conduct of some students. This behavior includes incidents where teachers have had chairs and scissors thrown at them, pushing many educators to their mental limits.
Walker, who serves as a representative for the National Education Union (NEU), describes a chaotic school environment where some students openly refuse to attend lessons, disrupt classes, and even interfere with exams. "They collect other students from classes and roam in large groups with no intention to learn," Walker explains. The situation has made her contemplate leaving both the school and the teaching profession, although her commitment to students who genuinely wish to learn keeps her hanging on.
Another teacher, choosing to stay anonymous, recently resigned from Westbourne Academy after experiencing physical and verbal abuse from students. The school, which educates over 1,000 pupils, is managed by a trust that acknowledges a "small but significant minority" of students whose behavior falls short of expectations. The trust claims it is taking active steps to address these issues.
However, many teachers feel unsupported by the school's senior leadership. Marc Emmanuel, an English teacher with 24 years of experience at the school and an NEU representative, notes that four experienced teachers have left in the past year. Emmanuel highlights the unusual nature of striking over student behavior, describing it as a "last and desperate resort" to seek support. "Students run down corridors kicking doors, throwing bottles, and disrupting exam rooms," he reports, emphasizing the need for robust systems to manage such behavior.
Walker attributes part of the behavioral issues to the influence of social media and mobile phones, which are officially banned but difficult to control. She believes students are influenced by online content that promotes a lifestyle of easy money without hard work, which doesn't encourage good behavior.
The school's leadership team, including a new principal who started in September, is attempting to improve the situation, but Walker feels changes need to happen quickly. Her mental health has suffered, and she struggles with the decision of whether to stay and fight for the students who want to learn.
Parents have also voiced concerns. One mother criticizes the school for punishing minor infractions while failing to adequately address more serious issues, such as her son being attacked and threatened. She reports receiving no follow-up from the school regarding these incidents. Another father decided to home-school his autistic daughter after she was bullied and threatened, expressing frustration at the school leadership's lack of accountability.
The deteriorating situation has led some parents to lose faith in the school. One father, whose daughter has special educational needs, plans to transfer her to another school due to repeated suspensions for outbursts that he attributes to the stressful environment. He disapproves of the strike, arguing that it disrupts students' education, yet acknowledges the need for change.
Conversely, some parents support the strike, hoping it will lead to improved behavior. Rebecca, a mother whose daughter attends Westbourne, fully backs the teachers' actions. She recounts her daughter's reluctance to attend classes due to the poor behavior she witnessed but notes an improvement in her willingness to go to school now.
Despite the challenges, Ofsted rated the school as "good" last summer, acknowledging areas needing improvement but recognizing efforts by the Academy Transformation Trust to address issues of behavior and truancy. Vic Goddard, who leads a multi-academy trust, notes a general decline in school behavior since the Covid pandemic, pointing to disruptions in students' early education and cuts in school funding as contributing factors.
In response to the ongoing issues, the trust emphasizes its commitment to staff wellbeing and its efforts to improve special educational needs and pastoral support. It acknowledges the behavioral challenges posed by a minority of students and urges parents who feel unheard to reach out directly.
Meanwhile, a Department for Education spokesperson reiterates the government's commitment to improving school behavior with new regional improvement teams set to work with schools to raise standards.
The situation at Westbourne Academy highlights a complex interplay of student behavior, teacher welfare, and parental concerns, all converging to create a challenging educational environment that requires urgent and coordinated action.