Teachers who walked out over the ‘vile’ behaviour of unruly pupils have been left stunned after the same students were gifted with a petting zoo, inflatables and sport sessions while they were away.
The bizarre ‘pampering’ came as 35 teachers at the 1,000 pupil Ysgol Nantgwyn school in Tonypandy, Rhonnda, Wales went on a two-day strike earlier this month.
Their action was in response to bad behaviour such as a teenager dropping his trousers in front of a female teacher and another repeatedly calling their educator a ‘fat old c***’.
Embattled staff at the school described it as ‘hostile’, reported they were regularly called ‘the c-word’ and ‘sworn at and threatened’ by yobbish pupils.
Union leaders say the school should have shut if cover staff could not be found for the two-day strike – but instead the school decided to pay for ‘fun activities’ as a substitute for lessons.
A school paid for a petting zoo, inflatables (pictured) and sport sessions to keep pupils occupied while teachers walked out in a row over ‘vile’ behaviour
Teachers at Ysgol Nantgwyn in Tonypandy accused the headteacher and management of ‘rewarding bad behaviour’
Petting zoo company A&S Animal Encounters were paid to entertain pupils and brought in animals including armadillos, snakes and meerkats.
Another company called Sporting Marvels also arranged activities. And a soft play company was brought in for pupils – all while their teachers were away.
Sharron Daly, national executive of teaching union Nasuwt, said: ‘The school brought in a bouncy castle and assault course and a private company to run activities.
‘The message to children is if you misbehave you’ll be rewarded with bouncy castles and an afternoon off the timetable.’
Teachers, who did not want to be named for fear of reprisals, described coming in to work as ‘demeaning and demoralising’.
They said they were walking out after months of talks had failed to see an effective behaviour policy introduced by the school.
One said: ‘Being sworn at has become a regular occurrence, we’ve had thefts from staff bags by pupils, female staff have faced sexualised language from male pupils, and many staff and pupils have felt threatened and intimidated by other pupils.
A teaching union rep said: ‘The message to children is if you misbehave you’ll be rewarded with bouncy castles and an afternoon off the timetable’
Large teenage boys have ‘circled’ women staff in corridors and in one instance a boy dropped his trousers in front of a member of staff, one teacher said
‘Management did nothing to resolve this, only Nasuwt action and a collective refusal to teach aggressive pupils has had any impact.
‘There have been homophobic comments to staff that again have not been dealt with. We’ve also experienced physical assault with pupils throwing chairs at staff and upending tables.
‘Pupils are getting away with everything, there are no consequences. We all know children will push boundaries, but it is setting them up to fail later in life if we do not correct these behaviours and make our pupils responsible for their actions.
‘Management do not get this. They are amending teachers’ reports of aggressive behaviour and even intimidating younger members of staff to downgrade the seriousness of incidents.’
Teachers said among the yobbish behaviour staff suffer is having chairs and other objects thrown at them, being pushed and ‘circled’ by older teenage boys and being sworn at on a regular basis.
Staff say they also suffer homophobic abuse with truanting from classes during the day causing disruption.
Ms Daly said the school has only been able to run some GCSE classes on the strike days on October 9 and 10 with most pupils sent to the off timetable sessions in the sports hall during the walk outs.
She said Sporting Marvels and Mini Mayhem Soft, a bouncy castle hire firm, were brought in on the first strike day.
The petting zoo company and Mini Mayhem were there on on the second day.
Teachers said the situation at the 3-16 age school is so bad it’s affecting their home lives and some are looking for jobs elsewhere.
The Nasuwt said further strike days have been set for November 6, 13, 27 and 28 and nine dates through December, January and February until the situation at the school is resolved.
A spokesman for Labour-run education authority Rhondda Cynon Taf Council said on behalf of the school: ‘School leaders and senior council officers have been engaging positively and productively with Nasuwt and its members.
‘It’s disappointing that the dispute continues despite everyone’s efforts to resolve it.
‘The school has an existing behaviour policy in place, which has been the focus of consultation. Following feedback from Nasuwt on behalf of its members, proposed amendments to this policy have been undertaken to address issues of concern. We hope that following further consultation, any remaining issues are resolved.’
The council said the school had a positive inspection in April 2023, with no major concerns about learner behaviour identified.
Estyn noted that, as a result of a new behaviour system, behaviour of nearly all pupils of primary age is consistently good and many secondary aged pupils behave well.
The statement continued: ‘Additional concerns were formally raised by Nasuwt in December 2023 to the school, and in February 2024 to the council. Since then, many improvements have been made, leading to better student behaviour and engagement, which Nasuwt members have recognised. The school is committed to continuing these improvements.
‘Recent staff training sessions on improving student behaviour received positive feedback. We hope that further review of behaviour policies will ensure consistency in managing challenging behaviour of a minority of learners.
‘It’s important to recognise the positive behaviour and dedication of most students and the school’s commitment to inclusive education. We will continue working with Nasuwt and its members to resolve all outstanding issues.
‘The wellbeing of our learners and workforce is of paramount importance and the claim that Nasuwt members have been targeted is refuted in the strongest possible terms.’