Secondary school ‘bucking trend’ of students acting sexist towards female staff

Lynn’s King Edward VII Academy has said it is bucking the countywide trend of students acting sexist towards female teachers with its new approach to discipline.It comes after a survey carried out by the Norfolk Natural Education Union (NEU) revealed that more than 60% of respondents reported experiencing physical violence weekly, with half of those experiencing violence daily.The survey also found that women, who make up the majority of the teacher workforce, are disproportionately affected and face frequent abuse, threats and violence.

Another survey carried out by the union showed that a third of teachers have a mental health problem.KES once struggled with poorly behaved students and was ranked as inadequate by education watchdog Ofsted.Fast forward to today, and the day-to-day running of the school looks entirely different. Head teacher Darren Hollingsworth, who came to the school in January last year, is enforcing a different approach to behaviour.

Part of that is teaching students how to treat people with “genuine mutual respect”, as well as banning mobile phones. Students now line up at the end of break and lunch times and recite a script to “reset” them ahead of learning.The school has now been ranked as “good” by Ofsted, and Mr Hollingsworth has seen significant growth with student behaviour at the school, which first opened in 1510. He said: “We are not there yet, but we are moving towards it, and it paves the way to greater success for the kids. It will give them greater access to the careers they choose.“The levels of respect is what we’ve started with, and that’s what we teach on a daily basis.”The same report by the NEU states that one in three women were considering leaving the profession due to the violence they have experienced. Injuries from violence occur weekly for 45% of female teachers. 63.2% of respondents reported suffering an injury as a result of violence/physical abuse at their school.Scott Lyons, Norfolk branch secretary, said: “The main concerns are violence, abuse, threats, sexual intimidation and misogyny.”In the primary sector, it’s predominantly around biting, pulling hair, spitting and attacks in a physical sense.”In secondary, really concerning, especially against female staff, is misogynist language, sexually intimidatory language and even physical abuse.”