Sheppey teacher strike as school is rife with violence and abuse

Parents and teachers have revealed the shocking scale of chaos at a troubled secondary school, which they say is plagued with abuse and violence.

Transcript

00:00 "Not ready, not respectful, not ready"

00:04 Striking over behaviour policy is rare but teachers here claim they've been left with

00:09 no other choice.

00:10 "I was threatened with my life, a student in a corridor because I asked them to stand

00:16 in a line outside a classroom, threatened to kill me, threatened to knife me, cut me.

00:22 We are threatened with rape, with murder, with being cut, with being knifed. Just in

00:28 the last two weeks we have had four physical assaults on staff. I now refuse to teach on

00:33 this site which is where it happened."

00:35 Lisa is not the only one. Both Oasis Academy sites had picket lines this morning calling

00:42 for reform.

00:43 "We feel that sometimes our school leaders, not just here but up and down the country

00:48 as well, are tied by policies that have and make no sense in current day schools."

00:55 Negotiations have been taking place but the union says talks have been going on for years.

01:01 "The worst offenders would be excluded. There'd be a restorative element of course so that

01:07 the employers senior team or pastoral team would meet parents and the children and ensure

01:14 that they understand the circumstances and the behaviour that's required before they

01:18 re-enter."

01:19 "You get a flag, the only thing I want back is that."

01:21 It's the first of seven strikes.

01:22 "If there is a next time, let's hope we solve it."

01:27 And it's thought to be the first of its kind in the county.

01:30 "It's a very unusual thing, it's very unusual and it indicates I think to everyone the strength

01:35 of feeling amongst the staff. They've put up with it for a long time, they've tried

01:39 to manage it the best they can and they feel they have no other option now."

01:43 Fish Strike Action has seen school closed to children and students today but we have

01:49 seen a number of cars and buses carrying pupils coming into the school. Admittedly we're talking

01:56 a handful of students but it seems the communication to some parents just didn't get out there.

02:03 But teachers say students have long been suffering.

02:07 An Oasis Academy spokesperson said providing a high quality of education for every student

02:12 is their top priority and students have online study materials during the action.

02:18 "We've had positive discussions with the union and are confident that we are making

02:22 significant progress."

02:24 For two secondary schools will be taken over by a new trust in September but that's still

02:34 two and a half terms away. Strikers hope to find a resolution this week to call off further

02:40 strikes.

02:41 Gabriel Morris for KENTV in Sheppey.

02:43 ♪ All right ♪