Supply teachers encounter a variety of school situations

For the past few years she has been working as a supply teacher - filling temporary positions in schools with short-term vacancies.

During the summer term of 2004 she kept a diary of her experiences. Below is the first week which illustrates the positive and negative aspects of teaching today, and why the education secretary wants "zero tolerance" of bad behaviour.

AA wrote this preface for the BBC News website:

When I first signed up with an agency I was very excited about the prospect of being back in there, using my skills and experience and hoping to be able to "make a difference", to enthuse children with a love for learning. After two years I sometimes feel a little less excited.

The aspect of working in schools which worries me the most is the amount of abuse to which teachers are subjected on a regular basis

My experience has been very varied. I have learnt a great deal in that time by trying to see every class as an opportunity to improve how I work.

If I have a bad day, I look at what I could have done differently. If I have a good day, I look at how I could make good days even better.

I trained to teach French and Drama but I rarely know before I arrive at a school what subject(s) I will be required to teach.

If the school is well organised for supply teachers, work will have been set for each class. Sometimes the lesson plans are part of the ongoing schemes of work and when this is the case I feel that I have been treated with respect as a teacher and that the long-term educational needs of the pupils are paramount.

Sometimes the material I am required to work with is of the "keep them busy" variety. Often there is enough to keep them busy for about 10 minutes and I am glad that I have a briefcase full of worksheets.

I have worked in schools where classes have the "keep them busy" type of work for whole terms and generally in these situations the behaviour has deteriorated and supply teachers are really just a body in the room to meet statutory requirements to have a qualified person present.

I have worked in schools which seem to be surviving from one day to the next, relying on supply teachers to make up for a worrying percentage of the teaching staff being on long-term sick leave. I have great admiration for the permanent members of staff who just keep going, covering as many lessons as possible.

In general I have worked with people who have a real commitment to their teaching and to the welfare of the young people at their schools.

The aspect of working in schools which worries me the most is the amount of abuse to which teachers are subjected on a regular basis.

Staff in hospitals and medical centres can exclude any person who is verbally or physically abusive. Teachers often do not have this option. The number of places available at pupil referral units is pitifully inadequate.

So many children are in mainstream education simply because of the commitment of their teachers, who choose not to exclude them because they would have nowhere else to go.

Most of the schools which make regular use of supply teachers are not in the so-called "good schools" category. In general these are the schools that serve the more deprived areas of our cities.

In the schools which serve the more socially and economically advantaged areas, teacher absence is less of a problem.

So, here is my diary, written from the "frontline" where heroic deeds are performed in classrooms every day by dedicated teachers.

I am sent to a special needs school in X city. I am allocated to a Year 1 class [five to six-year-olds], which is not an age group I have any experience with.

I feel privileged to have been able to spend some time here and get paid for it

There are eight pupils in the class with a diverse range of special needs.

There are two teaching assistants who seem to be very experienced and know the children well. They are very supportive and the day goes well.

The classroom is well organised with literacy and numeracy areas and the day is structured to take into account individual needs. I take a turn on the rota to supervise the children when they play outside in their own fenced-off area.

At the end of the day I help to add notes to the children's home/school diaries and note that there is very active communication between parents and school.

My impression of the school is of a safe and caring environment for children with very special needs. I feel privileged to have been able to spend some time here and get paid for it.

As usual for the start of the term, the week is quiet and my next day of work is Thursday.

I am sent to a mainstream inner-city school in Y city.

When I arrive I am given class lists for each class I will teach and my schedule for the day. All of my classes are maths.

The work which has been prepared for each class is very organised and I have been given good information on the whole school behaviour policy and a named person to call on if I experience any difficulty. I do not need to avail myself of this offer.

Throughout the day pupils are generally respectful, helpful and willing to attempt all tasks set.

Average class size is around 28. Only one person from five classes claims to be called "Bob".

I leave the school feeling that I have worked well, been well supported and have met some interesting young people.

I am sent to a mainstream secondary school in N city.

I arrive at the school at 8.30am and am directed to the staff room.

There, I am introduced to WS who organises the supply work. I am given a schedule for the day, which lists class ID, subject and room number. No class lists.

Outside my designated room I intervene to stop two boys kicking a third who is on the floor

An electronic register system is in use but there isn't a tablet available for me so I am told to do paper registers for each class. I make my way to the listed room for Period One.

The building looks fairly new, but I am immediately worried as I enter: this is just 9.15am and the carpeted floor is strewn with drinks cans, sweet wrappers, chewing gum and other detritus.

The pupils are milling about around classroom doors, many of them swigging from drinks cans and a variety of foodstuffs are being consumed.

There are several fights in progress as I make my way along the corridor and outside my designated room I intervene to stop two boys kicking a third who is on the floor.

There is an entrance at each end of the building and there are two opposing streams of movement in the corridor.

I am moving towards the wall for safety when a girl who is considerably bigger than I am does a shoulder tackle then addresses me as "Stupid f-----g little old lady".

I reach the door and find it locked just as someone appears with a key.

I make an effort to persuade the Year 7 class [11 and 12-year-olds] to stand back from the door, but as soon as it is unlocked, the weight of over 30 bodies pushes me from behind and I am swept into the room.

I install myself at the teacher's desk and look around for obvious signs of prepared English work, finding none. I attempt to call the class to attention and fail.

There are boys sitting on the window ledges, boys throwing punches at each other and I can hear at least three mobile phones.

I decide to make stopping the fights my priority for health and safety reasons and I am on the point of sending for help when a teacher bustles in carrying a ragged heap of folders, each of which seems to have loose papers protruding from it.

It seems like we're playing musical chairs and the appearance of this teacher has the effect of the music stopping: there is an immediate diving for seats and I look around in disbelief at 30 young "who me?" people.

The teacher does not introduce herself. She hands out the folders and a worksheet and appoints a "leader" at each table.

As soon as I look down at someone's work I am hit with a flying ruler, pencil or other piece of equipment

Could be a good move, to appoint the boys who seem to be most vociferous. It's not.

The door closes, table three leader throws the first screwed up worksheet and very soon it's like giant hailstones criss-crossing the room.

When I assess the situation I note that most of the girls still have their worksheets and a few of them ask for help.

I decide to focus on the pupils who want to work. This proves impossible.

As soon as I look down at someone's work I am hit with a flying ruler, pencil or other piece of equipment. The added insult here is that most of the equipment has been provided by me.

An hour is a very long time in this "challenging" situation. At the end Period One, I am feeling tired already.

Period Two

History with a Year 8 group [aged 12/13].

There is an industrial-sized electric fan in the corner of the room. I unplug it and stash it under my desk after several worksheets, various pencils, pens, a girl's hair and a packet of crisps get fed into it.

I spend the hour stopping the fan being moved and re-started, trying to get several "Ben Down"s to give a real name, assisting those pupils who are attempting the work set and stopping two boys from rearranging the metal filing cabinets and cupboards.

Period Three

A Year 9 [age 13/14] drama class, relocated to a computer room.

I cannot get to the door, as there is a crush to get in first. I clear a narrow path and come face-to-face with the shoulder-tackler from our earlier encounter in the corridor, who reacts to my presence with "F-----g hell, have we got you?"

It takes a few minutes to persuade her to move so that the technician can open the door.

As I reach out for the door handle, she throws her considerable weight at my back. My head hits the door and my knuckles are grazed as my hand is caught in the handle.

When the pupils are settled at computers and I have collected a paper register (three Bobs, two Ben Downs and three Phil McCrackens) I ask the technician what I can do about the incident at the door.

The technician tells me that it's pointless, as nothing will be done. I do my best to supervise the use of the internet but I know that there are a lot of pages being minimised as I approach.

When I ask one boy to close an obviously pornographic page I am told to "Mind your own f-----g business."

When I respond that it is my business, there is further verbal abuse. I calmly do the stuck record routine and eventually the page is closed but I do not fool myself that this will be for long.

My energy is really flagging now and I am just waiting for 3.20 when I can get into my car, switch on Radio 4 and head for home.

Lunch break follows Period Three and it seems to be over so quickly. Two more hours and I can get out of here.

Period Four

Year 9 science. I find instructions for the lesson, consisting of five lines of writing on lined paper, taped to the desk.

There is also an A5 worksheet, which has clearly been reduced from A4 and I can hardly read the very small print which has resulted.

I begin in my usual supply teacher's way: I introduce myself and write my name on the board.

I write up objective, tasks, etc (information which I have done my best to extract from the worksheet).

As soon as I begin to hand out the worksheets, the paper storm begins, water taps are turned on and I can smell gas.

At this point unexpected help arrives in the form of the science technician who pops in to collect something from a cupboard.

As he is trying to make a speedy exit I intercept him by practically throwing myself in his path and request that he turns off the water and the gas.

For the remainder of the very long hour I have only flying textbooks, drinks cans and paper missiles to deal with. Oh, and lots of mobile phones going off and being used to take photographs.

Period Five

I have a special educational needs group. I am surprised that I have a group of eight without any classroom support.

One of the boys gets down on the floor and starts to lick my shoes

The room is in a rather isolated location within the school with no other class within earshot or help-shot.

It becomes clear very quickly that none of the group can read the worksheet which has been left, and they are not willing/able to listen as I read it and try to get a discussion started.

One of the boys gets down on the floor and starts to lick my shoes. I manage to persuade him not to and as I am getting the others started on worksheets of my own, he pushes against my right arm and starts making simulated sex movements against it.

I have no success trying to divert the boy to other activities and use my mobile phone to ring reception and ask for the "Duty Senior" to come to the room.

Twenty minutes later, no one has come and I am still coping with the boy's challenging behaviour.

I try reception again and after another 15 minutes the bell goes for the end of the lesson and no support has arrived.

After the pupils have left I clean the phlegm off my shoes and my trousers before I leave the room.

Enquiries reveal the identity of the "Duty Senior" who says he did not get my message. I wonder why he does not make eye contact with me throughout the conversation.

I leave the school feeling like I have been abused but by the time I am home and my agency consultant rings I am going through what could I have done differently and decide that I will go back and treat this as a learning opportunity.

I tell myself it's all about getting the right approach and targeting the work.