‘Worse than anything I saw in the US’: Aberdeen teacher poised to quit after ‘repeated attacks’ by pupils

By Calum Petrie

January 11 2023, 5:00 pm

'You've got a situation where there's no consequences to actions', said teacher Mike Sexton.

A teacher at a violence-plagued Aberdeen school says his two years there have been worse than anything he suffered over a 12-year spell in inner-city classrooms in the US.

American Mike Sexton blames abuse by pupils at Northfield Academy, where staff voted in November for strike action in protest over the issue, for the mini-stroke he recently suffered.

The 62-year-old maths teacher believes Scottish schools should adopt harsher punishments to try to curb the regular attacks.

But he is now so fed up with what he sees as managers’ “indifference” to the plight of staff that he is on the verge of quitting altogether and heading back over the Atlantic.

Situation at school remains intolerable

Maths teacher Mike Sexton said he’d been struck by textbooks, calculators and filled drinks bottles aimed at him by youngsters.

EIS union members are said to be “mildly optimistic” about measures which have been put in place since the strike ballot drew national attention and prompted First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to pledge to intervene.

Local secretary Ron Constable said however that any further incidents of verbal or physical abuse could tip their hand and prompt industrial action.

Aberdeen City Council meanwhile said it “rejects the scope of the allegations made and the reported inaction” and was working continuously to make schools “safer places of learning”.

Mr Sexton, though, says the situation at the school remains intolerable.

Textbooks, calculators, and filled drinks bottles are among the missiles he says have been aimed at him by youngsters.

On another occasion, his classroom door was kicked off its hinges. He couldn’t close it until it was fixed a month later.

Hit in the back, grabbed by the arm

He has taught in Scotland for four years, the first two years at Fraserburgh Academy, which he said didn’t have the same problem as Northfield.

Before this, Mr Sexton taught at inner-city schools in Oklahoma and Texas.

He told the P&J about the attacks he says he has suffered at the hands of students.

“I turn my back to help another student and get hit in the back by a student who thinks it’s funny. I’ve had my arm grabbed by a pupil.

“Another time, two pupils put their feet on the desk and kicked it into me while I was working with pupils at another desk.

“Other teachers are affected too – I’m not alone.”

‘No consequences’: Mr Sexton said incidents at the school were simply ‘ignored’.

Mr Sexton added: “The door to my room was kicked open and damaged while I was off with laryngitis. There was a bit missing which meant I couldn’t close it, and that took a month to fix. So I couldn’t close my classroom door.”

He says when he refers the incidents to school management, they are simply “ignored”.

“I’m told they’ll talk to them. I’m just told something supposedly happens, but nothing ever seems to. They say they’ll check the cameras but the cameras never pick up anything.”

‘Totally fed up’

Much of Mr Sexton’s frustration centres around what he perceives as a lack of action, both to address violent students and protect teachers.

“You’ve got a situation where there’s no consequences to actions. I’m just totally fed up with it.

“In the States, physically assaulting a teacher would see a pupil suspended from school for two weeks. No questions asked. And depending on the severity, it could be for the rest of the school year. It’s addressed there.

“It’s always the same students doing it over and over and over again. There has to be a consequence – without that, a certain type of person is not going to listen.

“One option would be what happens in the States, called in-school suspension. Pupils are placed in a special room with cubicles where they can do their classwork, without access to mobile phones.”

Suffered a mini-stroke due to stress

He added: “I’m extremely unsatisfied with the situation. It does make me angry. I’ve got to be careful not to take my anger out on the students.

“It has caused physiological problems and I have had stress-related signs. I recently suffered a transient ischaemic attack (TIA), which is a mini-stroke, and I’m sure stress was a factor.”

An Aberdeen City Council spokesman said: “Whilst we do not comment on individual staffing matters, the council rejects the scope of the allegations made and the reported inaction.

“Aberdeen City Council works continuously with pupils, parents, staff and unions to ensure that all of our schools are a safe place of learning.”