Classroom Chaos
Encyclopedia
Classroom Chaos was a controversial British
TV documentary programme, aired on Five, in which a retired teacher under the pseudonym "Sylvia Thomas" returned undercover as a supply teacher after a 30-year teaching gap. Her objective, other than to make a controversial and high rating television programme was to show the "chaos" which teachers must deal with in the classroom. With the use of hidden cameras, she filmed chairs being smashed, pupils fighting in class, swearing at teachers by pupils and false accusations by pupils of her touching them.
The filming was done using hidden cameras in a button and a briefcase. The documentary showed children aged from 12 to 15 completely ignoring the supply teacher and other staff while they shout, scream, fight, swear, downloading porn and wandering around the classroom at will.
The filming was carried out at 15 ordinary secondary schools in London
and the north of England
, randomly chosen by the supply agencies she contacted. None of which were considered to be failing by recent inspection reports.
condemned the programme, saying it was not fair on the children to film them secretly.
The Conservative
party were quick to push their message of classroom discipline and more pupil referral units for children who have been expelled from school. However the Government insisted that schools must take their fair share of disruptive pupils.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
TV documentary programme, aired on Five, in which a retired teacher under the pseudonym "Sylvia Thomas" returned undercover as a supply teacher after a 30-year teaching gap. Her objective, other than to make a controversial and high rating television programme was to show the "chaos" which teachers must deal with in the classroom. With the use of hidden cameras, she filmed chairs being smashed, pupils fighting in class, swearing at teachers by pupils and false accusations by pupils of her touching them.
The filming was done using hidden cameras in a button and a briefcase. The documentary showed children aged from 12 to 15 completely ignoring the supply teacher and other staff while they shout, scream, fight, swear, downloading porn and wandering around the classroom at will.
The filming was carried out at 15 ordinary secondary schools in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and the north of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, randomly chosen by the supply agencies she contacted. None of which were considered to be failing by recent inspection reports.
Controversy
The National Union of TeachersNational Union of Teachers
The National Union of Teachers is a trade union for school teachers in England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. It is a member of the Trades Union Congress...
condemned the programme, saying it was not fair on the children to film them secretly.
The Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
party were quick to push their message of classroom discipline and more pupil referral units for children who have been expelled from school. However the Government insisted that schools must take their fair share of disruptive pupils.