SEND staff facing 'daily attacks' go on strike

Naomi Garmston said she had previously been bitten by a pupil during her routine working day

Teaching assistants who claim they face being assaulted "most days" while working with special educational needs children (SEND) have gone on strike.

Staff from St Anne's School and Sixth Form College in Hessle said a new pay system did not cover their extra duties.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) said the new terms were voted on by union members and accepted.

In response to assaults on workers, ERYC said all staff were "trained and heavily supported".

The school is described by the council as providing education for pupils with "severe and complex learning difficulties".

The National Education Union (NEU) said the previous pay structure, before 1 April, helped retain SEND staff and covered extra work and risks not faced by staff in mainstream settings.

Naomi Garmston, who works at the Boothferry Road site, said staff needed "a lot of knowledge to deal with the behaviours and the care plans".

She said the worst incident she had experienced was a child biting her which left severe bruising on her face.

"The child was in crisis and bit me. It's just the nature of our job but that's the type of assault you don't expect to happen at work and get paid pennies for.

"I personally feel more sorry for the child but when I come home and my partner says it's terrible, you do think is the job worth it?

"You don't expect to go home with bruises and marks on your face, it's not right."

The teaching assistants said a new pay system did not take account of their extra duties and responsibilities

ERYC said talks about strike action at the school had taken place over a number of weeks.

"The new terms were voted on by the trade union members and accepted, and these came into force on 1 April," it added.

The NEU said it could escalate the strike action if further talks with the school and the local authority were not successful.

Kirsty, who is a teaching assistant at the school, said: "We do medical, physio, occupational therapy. We deal with hard to help behaviours. There are lots of care plans we have to follow.

"I feel like we need to make a stand. We deserve that pay."

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