Latest news with #PatrickRoach
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Springfield School Committee approves $670 million budget
SPRINGFIELD — The School Committee approved a $670.9 million budget that focuses on boosting services for students with disabilities, increasing school-based funding and working on district-based priorities such as improving early literacy. The budget, which will cover fiscal year 2026 that begins in July, calls for an about $43.6 million increase over this year's spending, which is an about 7% increase, said Patrick Roach, chief financial officer for the school. But overall, when grants which are mostly from the federal government, are included, the budget will actually decrease by about 7%. That reduction is mainly because federal pandemic relief money known as ESSER funds, has run out this year. 'We spent our ESSER funds on one-time (expenses) so there are no cuts,' he said. That money was spent on a wide variety of different things including playgrounds, high school fields, an amphitheater and improving ventilation and adding air condition in schools. Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, who serves as chairman of the School Committee, said he continues to be concerned about possible cuts to federal grants the schools do rely on, adding the information changes daily. If that funding is eliminated, the city could lose about $25 million in money that provides free lunch to all children and another $9 million that goes to classroom services. While the schools may be at risk of losing federal grants, a lot of the increase in general spending has come from the state's Student Opportunity Act legislation passed in 2020 that hiked education spending annually by about $1.5 billion. Most of the funds are earmarked for the state's poorest school districts which includes Springfield, Roach said. 'We have pushed the majority of that money out to the schools,' he said. 'We also use it to make sure we have money to fund the teacher raises and the other collective bargaining agreements,' he said. Teachers, who are working on an expired contract, and the School Committee are in negotiations. While the city has offered 3% raises to educators, there have been sticking points about sick time benefits, Roach said. The School Committee passed the budget in a unanimous vote Wednesday with no members proposing changes. It will now go to the City Council to be approved with the rest of the budget. Prior to the vote the spending has been reviewed item-by-item in subcommittee, said Christopher Collins, a School Committee member and chairman of its finance subcommittee. Committee Vice Chairwoman LaTonia Monroe Naylor said she appreciated the work that went into ensuring disabled students are getting the help they need in the budget, especially with the numbers increasing to 27% of the school population. 'There is a really big concern and a lot of really important dollars are focused on that,' she said. 'The (education) chiefs are really taking a really hard look at how do we address the needs of our most vulnerable students.'
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Scotsman
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
Teachers declare ‘pupil behaviour emergency' in schools
Watch more of our videos on and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565 Visit Shots! now Union leaders say teachers are having to 'think about how they survive' in the classroom 🏫 Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A major teaching union is calling for urgent action on pupil behaviour Teachers report widespread violence in the classroom, with 1 in 5 being hit or punched in the last year They also believe the far right movement is negatively impacting male pupils through social media Female teachers report experiencing more verbal abuse than men Meanwhile, black teachers report experiencing more regular physical abuse than white staff Teachers say they are facing an emergency situation when it comes to pupil behaviour - coupled with a 'rising tide' of misogyny and racism. Earlier this month, members of teaching union NASUWT met in Liverpool for the union's annual conference. Among the topics up for discussion were working conditions for teachers across the UK, with many saying they faced such extreme workloads that it could jeopardise some of the UK's current education reforms. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But members also took the chance to call for government help on another pressing issue: teachers suffering violence and bigotry at the hands of their students. Educators needed to be better equipped for 'a dangerous school landscape where pupil violence and aggression is commonplace', the union said, as it also called for more against the 'far right's efforts to recruit children and young people'. But just how bad is pupil behaviour really - and what does the far right have to do with it? Here's what you need to know: One in four teachers say they experience pupil violence at least once a term | (Image: National World/Adobe Stock) How prevalent is pupil violence? NASUWT's then-general secretary Dr Patrick Roach said that pupil behaviour had long been an issue for teachers, 'but recent years have seen an unprecedented surge in levels of violence and abuse in the classroom'. 'Based on our latest data, we estimate as many as 30,000 violent incidents against teachers involving pupils with a weapon in the last 12 months,' he said. 'Many teachers are having to think about how they can survive in the classroom before they can begin to focus on their teaching and pupils' learning.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The union's latest UK-wide Behaviour in Schools survey found that in the last year, one in five teachers reported being hit or punched by pupils, with nearly two in five (38%) being shoved or barged. Pupil aggression had become so bad, that more than half of the thousands of teachers surveyed (52%) were considering leaving the profession altogether. Almost all (95%) teachers had experienced rudeness from pupils, with more than a quarter suffering verbal abuse several times each week. Shockingly, more than 60% of threats of assault with a weapon came from pupils of primary school age. What does the far right have to do with it? Union members said they believed that the influence of far right and populist movements were negatively impacting pupils through social media, messaging apps and online gaming platforms. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The survey found that teachers thought social media was the number one cause of negative pupil behaviour. Some even directly referenced far right agitator Andrew Tate as impacting male pupils' behaviour - leading to an increase in misogynistic abuse of female staff and pupils in schools. Female teachers were more likely to regularly receive verbal abuse than their male counterparts over the past year, with 27.3% of female teachers reporting verbal abuse several times a week and 14.3% reporting it daily, compared to 20.4% and 9.8% respectively for male teachers. Teachers describing themselves as from Black, Caribbean or African backgrounds were also more likely to experience regular physical abuse from pupils, with nearly three in 10 (29.6%) reporting that they suffered physical abuse several times a week. For teachers who described themselves as White, just 15.9% reported a similar experience. 'Misogyny, racism and other forms of prejudice and hatred may have attracted greater media attention of late, but it is clear from our data that these behaviours are not a recent phenomenon,' Dr Roach said. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'There is an urgent need for concerted action involving schools, colleges and other agencies to safeguard all children and young people from the dangerous influence of far-right populists and extremists and to ensure that our schools and colleges are safe places for learners and for staff.' What do teachers believe is the solution? In NASUWT's behaviour survey, 70% of teachers said they didn't believe they had the resources, support or knowledge to meet the behaviour needs of all of their pupils - while 78.8% said the number of pupils who did not receive adequate support at school had increased. More than three quarters (76%) of those surveyed said that many of the behaviour issues they were seeing could be alleviated if affected pupils were moved to specialist facilities, but these places were often scarce. Last month, the Government allocated £740 million to create 10 thousand new places for pupils with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND). Dr Roach added that the union was also calling for 'the establishment of a national interagency forum on School Safety and Security', to be led and chaired by ministers. 'We are also calling on the Government to invest in properly funded services to identify and tackle the root causes of pupil violence and aggression.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad When it came to misogyny, bigotry, and the influence of the far right, teachers could not be left to deal with the problem alone, he added. 'We need a multi-agency response to improve social media literacy, critical thinking skills, and to expose disinformation and false narratives. We are urging the government to lead a national effort to tackle the root causes of poverty and deprivation and keep children safe online.' If you have an education story to share, we'd love to hear from you. You can now send your stories to us online via YourWorld at It's free to use and, once checked, your story will appear on our website and, space allowing, in our newspapers.
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Scotsman
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
Teachers declare ‘pupil behaviour emergency' in schools
Union leaders say teachers are having to 'think about how they survive' in the classroom 🏫 Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A major teaching union is calling for urgent action on pupil behaviour Teachers report widespread violence in the classroom, with 1 in 5 being hit or punched in the last year They also believe the far right movement is negatively impacting male pupils through social media Female teachers report experiencing more verbal abuse than men Meanwhile, black teachers report experiencing more regular physical abuse than white staff Teachers say they are facing an emergency situation when it comes to pupil behaviour - coupled with a 'rising tide' of misogyny and racism. Earlier this month, members of teaching union NASUWT met in Liverpool for the union's annual conference. Among the topics up for discussion were working conditions for teachers across the UK, with many saying they faced such extreme workloads that it could jeopardise some of the UK's current education reforms. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But members also took the chance to call for government help on another pressing issue: teachers suffering violence and bigotry at the hands of their students. Educators needed to be better equipped for 'a dangerous school landscape where pupil violence and aggression is commonplace', the union said, as it also called for more against the 'far right's efforts to recruit children and young people'. But just how bad is pupil behaviour really - and what does the far right have to do with it? Here's what you need to know: One in four teachers say they experience pupil violence at least once a term | (Image: National World/Adobe Stock) How prevalent is pupil violence? NASUWT's then-general secretary Dr Patrick Roach said that pupil behaviour had long been an issue for teachers, 'but recent years have seen an unprecedented surge in levels of violence and abuse in the classroom'. 'Based on our latest data, we estimate as many as 30,000 violent incidents against teachers involving pupils with a weapon in the last 12 months,' he said. 'Many teachers are having to think about how they can survive in the classroom before they can begin to focus on their teaching and pupils' learning.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The union's latest UK-wide Behaviour in Schools survey found that in the last year, one in five teachers reported being hit or punched by pupils, with nearly two in five (38%) being shoved or barged. Pupil aggression had become so bad, that more than half of the thousands of teachers surveyed (52%) were considering leaving the profession altogether. Almost all (95%) teachers had experienced rudeness from pupils, with more than a quarter suffering verbal abuse several times each week. Shockingly, more than 60% of threats of assault with a weapon came from pupils of primary school age. What does the far right have to do with it? Union members said they believed that the influence of far right and populist movements were negatively impacting pupils through social media, messaging apps and online gaming platforms. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The survey found that teachers thought social media was the number one cause of negative pupil behaviour. Some even directly referenced far right agitator Andrew Tate as impacting male pupils' behaviour - leading to an increase in misogynistic abuse of female staff and pupils in schools. Female teachers were more likely to regularly receive verbal abuse than their male counterparts over the past year, with 27.3% of female teachers reporting verbal abuse several times a week and 14.3% reporting it daily, compared to 20.4% and 9.8% respectively for male teachers. Teachers describing themselves as from Black, Caribbean or African backgrounds were also more likely to experience regular physical abuse from pupils, with nearly three in 10 (29.6%) reporting that they suffered physical abuse several times a week. For teachers who described themselves as White, just 15.9% reported a similar experience. 'Misogyny, racism and other forms of prejudice and hatred may have attracted greater media attention of late, but it is clear from our data that these behaviours are not a recent phenomenon,' Dr Roach said. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'There is an urgent need for concerted action involving schools, colleges and other agencies to safeguard all children and young people from the dangerous influence of far-right populists and extremists and to ensure that our schools and colleges are safe places for learners and for staff.' What do teachers believe is the solution? In NASUWT's behaviour survey, 70% of teachers said they didn't believe they had the resources, support or knowledge to meet the behaviour needs of all of their pupils - while 78.8% said the number of pupils who did not receive adequate support at school had increased. More than three quarters (76%) of those surveyed said that many of the behaviour issues they were seeing could be alleviated if affected pupils were moved to specialist facilities, but these places were often scarce. Last month, the Government allocated £740 million to create 10 thousand new places for pupils with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND). Dr Roach added that the union was also calling for 'the establishment of a national interagency forum on School Safety and Security', to be led and chaired by ministers. 'We are also calling on the Government to invest in properly funded services to identify and tackle the root causes of pupil violence and aggression.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad When it came to misogyny, bigotry, and the influence of the far right, teachers could not be left to deal with the problem alone, he added. 'We need a multi-agency response to improve social media literacy, critical thinking skills, and to expose disinformation and false narratives. We are urging the government to lead a national effort to tackle the root causes of poverty and deprivation and keep children safe online.'
Epoch Times
24-04-2025
- General
- Epoch Times
Special Educational Needs System ‘On Its Knees,' Says Teachers' Union
The special educational needs and disability (SEND) system is 'on its knees' amid rising demand and falling support, the NASUWT teaching union has said. A poll of more than 2,000 NASUWT members in England More than four in 10 (43 percent) say that the number of specialist support staff has decreased in their schools over that same timeframe. Just 3 percent say they always receive the support they need to teach children with SEND. Against this backdrop of a fall in support is a reported rise in demand. Nine in 10 said the number of children they teach with special needs or disabilities has increased in the last five years. In addition, 95 percent said that the needs of those pupils have become more complex. A high proportion of teachers also said that workloads have increased because of the rise in the number of children with SEND. More than nine in 10 (94 percent) said they are dealing with more paperwork, and 91 percent said their workload has increased as a result of underfunding in specialist services. Major Challenges The poll was released ahead of NASUWT's annual conference in Liverpool, where members will debate and vote on a motion this weekend calling for the government to develop a plan to meet the growing demands on the SEND system. Patrick Roach, general secretary of NASUWT, said: 'The government has inherited a SEND system on its knees. Related Stories 2/26/2025 1/16/2025 'Our latest survey findings point to the major challenges that will need to be overcome if any reforms to SEND provision are to be successful. 'Any plan for rebuilding trust and confidence in the SEND system must be properly resourced and integral to wider reforms to curriculum and assessment, inspection, accountability and measures to tackle the teacher recruitment and retention crisis and the ambition to recruit 6,500 more teachers.' The survey also found that 73 percent of teachers say pupils are staying in their current school despite having education, health, and care plans (EHCPs) that advise they should attend a specialist school to meet their needs, but cannot because that setting is full. 1.6 Million SEND Pupils According to This includes 434,354 pupils in schools in England who have EHCPs, an increase of 11.6 percent from 2023. School children playing during a break at a primary school in Yorkshire, England, on Nov. 27, 2019. Danny Lawson/PA Wire In February, MPs EHCPs outline the needs and support for children with SEND and are assessed and paid for by local authorities. However, councils have been warning that they are struggling to pay for the growing costs of the special educational needs system. The Public Accounts Committee £1 Billion Invested in SEND A Department for Education (DfE) spokeswoman said: 'The evidence is clear that the SEND system has been left on its knees—with too many children not having their needs met and parents forced to fight for support. 'It will take time, but as part of our Plan for Change, we are thinking differently about what the SEND system should look like, to spread opportunity, restore the confidence of families up and down the country, and deliver the improvement they are crying out for.' She added that the DfE was making progress by investing £1 billion into SEND and £740 million to encourage local councils to create more specialist places in mainstream state schools. Recruitment and Retention Crisis Roach also highlighted that tackling the 'teacher recruitment and retention crisis' was critical for wider education reform. Teachers are feeling the impact of the recruitment crisis, according to a National Education Union poll The government said it was taking action to ease workload pressures, support teacher well-being, and increase pay. The DfE said work has begun to recruit an additional 6,500 teachers, with the department pledging £233 million 'to get more talented people at the front of our classrooms driving high and rising standards for children.' PA Media contributed to this report.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mobile phones are lethal weapons, says education union
Mobile phones are 'lethal weapons' in the hands of 'addicted' children, teachers have warned. Staff are forced to deal with disruptive pupils who believe it is their 'inalienable right' to use their phones during the school day, according to the head of a major teaching union. Patrick Roach, the NASUWT general secretary, issued the warning in a keynote speech at the union's annual conference on Friday. He said some pupils are using their phones to interrupt lessons, bully others and act out, while others are easily sharing 'racist, sexist and other violent content'. It comes amid a heightened focus on children's vulnerability online in the wake of the hit TV drama Adolescence. Mr Roach warned that two in three teachers now report that social media is a 'critical factor' in bullying and bad behaviour. He called for a 'national response' to the issue, including restricting pupils' access to mobile phones as a 'start'. School leaders are encouraged to keep phones out of the classroom under official Government guidance, but there is currently no legal ban in force. Several high-profile figures have called for blanket restrictions to strengthen protections for children, including Esther Ghey, the mother of murdered teenager Brianna Ghey. Daniel Kebede, the head of the National Education Union, another major teaching union, has also said the Government should outlaw phones in classrooms. Mr Roach said: 'Teachers tell us of young people who are addicted. Addicted to technology used to denigrate and abuse others. Addicted to technologies used to radicalise, to disrupt and to incite others. Technology weaponised for entertainment.'Conference – you tell us that mobile phones are lethal weapons. Youth violence is now a public health issue of our times.' Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, dismissed calls for a law banning phones in classrooms as a 'headline-grabbing gimmick' earlier this MPs also rejected a Tory amendment to the Government's flagship schools bill that would have ended the use of the devices during the school day in Trott, the shadow education secretary, had urged ministers to take tougher action on smartphone use and said there was 'growing evidence' of their damaging impact on pupils. Mr Roach said more needs to be done, such as better support for parents to keep children safe and 'robust action' against social media companies.'We need the Government to step up its response, too,' he added.'I'm pleased that we've had positive discussions with ministers. But we now need a plan to tackle what has become a national emergency. A plan that focuses on preparedness, on reducing the risks of exposure to harmful content, and on building capacity and support locally, regionally and nationally.'And, that's why we are renewing our call for a national cross-sectoral initiative, to be led by ministers, to advance safety and security in our schools and colleges. And, where teachers have a seat at the table.' Ms Phillipson has insisted there is no need to legislate for a ban because headteachers already have the power to confiscate phones from students during the school day. A report by the Children's Commissioner published last week found that more than 90 per cent of secondary schools in England now have a policy in place aimed at preventing children from using their phones, although strictness varies across the sector. Of around 2,500 secondary schools polled, 79 per cent said pupils were allowed to bring their mobile phones to school but were told not to use them during the school day and asked to keep them out of sight. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
