A group of 11 teachers at an Edinburgh special school have been sent home and had their pay stopped this week, after refusing to teach or supervise eight pupils who they claim posed a risk to health, safety and welfare.
The teachers’ union, NASUWT Scotland, said the group had faced “month after month” of violent physical assaults, verbal abuse and threats at Kaimes School, a special school mainly for autistic children from the city. The union also claimed that “equipment has been smashed and classrooms trashed” by pupils.
The council, however, said that it had put in place an “improvement action plan” at the Kaimes - an all-through school of 96 pupils with 85 teachers and support staff - at the beginning of the academic year and that most staff were working to take this forward.
NASUWT Scotland, however, said it had been attempting to resolve issues with pupil behaviour at the school for almost a year. The union stated that the teachers had tried to work with the council, but after seeing “no tangible progress”, members were balloted on a lawful trade dispute to refuse to teach or supervise certain pupils.
NASUWT members voted in favour of the action and last week began to refuse to teach or supervise eight pupils, who they believed posed the greatest risk to health and safety. On Monday, the teachers were sent home.
The union said it hoped to raise the issue at a meeting today with education secretary John Swinney.
NASUWT general secretary Chris Keates said no one should go to work every day with the expectation of being verbally and physically abused or threatened. She called for the council to “genuinely engage in discussions” and for the teachers to be allowed back to work immediately
She said: “The action the council is taking against our members is far more disruptive to children’s education than any action the teachers themselves are taking.
“Teachers are entitled to a safe working environment and pupils are entitled to learn in safety, free from violence and disruption.
“This is one of the most disturbing cases I have ever experienced of an employer failing in its duty of care, not only for staff, but also for the pupils at the school.”
The City of Edinburgh Council, however, said the staff had been sent home because it could not “have a situation where staff decide who they are and who they are not willing to teach”. It urged the teachers and the NASUWT “to sit down with us as soon as possible to resolve this situation”.
A spokesman added: “As a local authority, we have a duty to provide education to all children in Edinburgh. We are also committed to ensuring our teachers and other staff are fully supported to deliver the excellent level of education children and young people have a right to expect.
“We continually review how we can support our teachers in what, at times, can be challenging places to work. An improvement action plan for Kaimes School has been developed in consultation with staff and subject to external, expert scrutiny. This is in the very early stages of being implemented and we would urge everyone to work with us, as we take this plan forward.”
