This nightmare scenario was one student’s experience on final teaching practice. “I had no idea of how the system worked - my training had completely ill-equipped me for this. The frightening thing was that the next time round I’d be in a proper job and the responsibility would be all mine - how was I to cope then?” Sadly, this experience is no longer the extreme. Many teachers - experienced as well as newly qualified - are very concerned about how to handle the pastoral side of their job. A recent report commissioned by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers has served to fuel these fears: “Owing to factors such as unemployment, family breakdowns and growing poverty, children were developing more behavioural problems,” found the researchers from the University of York. “Consequently, many schools appear to have become an underfunded branch of the social services.”

Putting aside the wider areas of counselling parents and acting as a surrogate social worker to the community, even the everyday running of the classroom puts teachers under fire from a whole range of problems. How to handle bullying, what to do if a pupil becomes violent, where to go if you suspect things are wrong at home, what discipline tactics to use and which to avoid are just some of these concerns.

Jim Campbell, Professor of Education at the University of Warwick, believes that most newly qualified teachers will have received adequate training on pastoral care and their legal position on various issues when at college. But not all are so fortunate. Newly qualified teacher Sharon Russell said that the curriculum came first on her course and training on pastoral care got pushed into the background. “But the social side of the job is always there, overshadowing all that you do, so it needs to be given much more attention. ”

She was ignorant of the roles of the different agencies - but soon found herself caught up in a situation where this knowledge would have been invaluable. Very early on in her job she began to be concerned that one of the children in her class of eight to nine-year-olds was being seriously neglected at home. She discussed it with her deputy head and the Education Welfare Officer was involved next. They discovered that the child was already known to the social services, who took over complete responsibility for dealing with the situation.

She found the whole situation quite a strain. “It was then out of my hands, ” she says. “But you want to do more, after all it’s you who sees the child every day in the classroom and it’s very difficult to detach yourself from what is going on.”

The social services did give the school feedback when they asked for it. But the cloud of secrecy she was thrust under made things more unpleasant. “The secretive nature of the situation was horrible - there were only certain people you were allowed to talk to about it. You’re curious to know what is going on, but sometimes it is expected that you shouldn’t be involved.” She consoled herself with the thought that all involved were putting the needs of the child first. “Although it was frustrating I had to think that they were telling me exactly what I needed to know.”

With hindsight Sharon, now in her second year of teaching at Herbert Fowler Middle School, Old Arley near Nuneaton, says she would have kept a record of all the little incidents that she had noticed as the situation unfolded. “It was only when things came to a head later on that one of the teachers said that that was what they did.” It’s then all down in writing to pass on to the welfare officers if and when they are brought in.

Knowing how far to become involved is something many find difficult to judge. But become too involved and you could cripple your ability to do your job properly. “It’s easy to say don’t get too involved - but everyone’s human and these type of situations can be very upsetting,” says Sharon Russell. “However, you’ve got to remember there are 29 or so other children in your class who need your attention as well.”

Ruth Westbrook, headteacher of Tile Hill Wood secondary school in Coventry, says you should never forget that your main role is to teach: “You should only get involved when the situation affects the education of the child,” she says, adding that you have not been trained to do the job of a social worker.

The key piece of advice echoed by everyone involved in this field is to remember you are not alone - don’t try and take the weight solely on your shoulders. “You should have been assigned a mentor in school,” says Sheila Dainton, Assistant General Secretary of the Policy Unit at ATL. “Turn to that person for immediate advice - don’t try and handle these types of situations on your own.”

Even the most experienced teachers get out of their depth at times - so as a newly qualified you should feel much less threatened by sharing any such problems. It is the head who has ultimate responsibility for dealing with many of these situations, says Sheila Dainton: “This may sound like buck passing but when in doubt you must pass the problem on for immediate consultation.”

But when you are new it is sometimes difficult to ask for help, as Sharon Russell explains: “There are always so many mundane things you have to ask staff about when you first start, that you begin to feel, ‘Oh no, I can’t go bothering them again’. So you hang off, wait until the situation is desperate, or, worse still, don’t ask for help at all. But you could soon wish you had done otherwise.”

The welfare of your pupils is not something to muck around with by thinking you can handle things on your own. As Jim Campbell puts it, “The consequences of not getting help could be horrendous”.

This is where break-times can be invaluable, says Sharon Russell, because they provide a more relaxed and natural environment in which to raise your concerns.

“Through chatting with other staff, you might just let the problem slip and you’ll quickly realise that it is not such a big thing asking for help. Often hearing other people’s views helps put things in their right perspective. ”

Most schools will have a policy on pastoral care. The Office for Standards in Education now asks to see the pupil support policy as part of the inspection process so schools without one are quickly having to make it a higher priority. “Hunt it out as soon as you arrive at the school,” says Jim Campbell. It should lay down guidelines on everything from the school’s approach to combating bullying, the agreed policy on punishment sanctions through to procedures to follow when faced with more serious issues such as suspected child abuse.

All schools by law must have a policy on child protection. However, this is such a sensitive and complex area the advice is that on no account should you try and handle it on your own. “Refer it to a senior member of staff immediately,” says Ruth Westbrook. It could be you that the child first opens up to. “In any situation where a child shares something that is troubling them, you should never guarantee to keep a confidence,” she adds. “Reassure them that it is a problem that can be solved but other people will need to be involved. ”

The school’s policy document can also provide a line of protection against angry parents, for example, who are furious at your decision to place their child in detention. “If you’ve followed the school policy then it’s there in black and white for the parents to see - and by sending their child to your school they have accepted that approach,” says Jim Campbell. If detention is not part of your school policy, in the extreme case you could stand accused of false imprisonment - so you need to know what line your school takes.

The school’s strategies on dealing with bullying is another area which should be set out clearly in its policy handbooks. Schools are becoming more aware of the potential seriousness of this issue. The action you take will depend on the situation. “Judging whether something is small or has greater consequences is something you can’t be taught at university - you have to learn it on the job,” says Ruth Westbrook. But she stresses that it is always important that you listen to the child - if it is something that is important to them then it needs your attention. “It is completely inappropriate to say it is nothing, it will go away, or it’s something they are just going to have to put up with, ” she adds.

The division of responsibility between teachers, welfare officers and social workers is not clear-cut. It varies from place to place, but broadly speaking Education Welfare Officers are concerned with pupil attendance. However, finding out why a pupil is not in school can quickly lead into issues in the social services’ domain. “As part of your induction programme you should be told what the situation is with your local education authority,” says Ruth Westbrook. “And if not, you should make sure you ask.”

One of the top concerns for most newly qualifieds is getting the discipline side of things right. If you get it wrong you could quickly find yourself on the wrong side of the law.

The whole area of restraining a child is a dodgy one. Although the law says that this is allowed if you are “averting an immediate danger of personal injury to, or an immediate danger to the property of, any person,” proving that this was your intention is often not clear-cut.

John Beddow from the Leicestershire Education Welfare Department voiced the sentiments of many. “A teacher should never lay a hand on a child full-stop. ” So often it is the teacher who is suspended for restraining a violent child while a formal investigation is carried out, and the pupil stays in school. “If you are accused of physical assault you are lucky to get away with just a warning. Often you could face disciplinary action,” says John Beddow.

But as most newly qualifieds would agree starting their first teaching job is one of the most stressful times of their life. And considering these pressures the likelihood of tempers fraying to explosion point is very high. “We are only human,” says Sharon Russell. “Sometimes the children can get you at a low ebb and quickly wear down your patience.”

She found herself in that situation very early on: “There was one incident when I had to hold a child to stop him from bolting out of the building. ” She was aware of the possible consequences of this action. “I felt very uncomfortable and so under threat and I remember thinking, ‘What’s going to happen to me for doing this?’” The situation was upon her before she could stop to think about it. “If you find yourself in the situation of restraining a pupil go and tell the head about it immediately,” says Jim Campbell. “If you have behaved reasonably you will be supported.”

Although you will have many other demands on your time when you first start in teaching it is important to get to grips with the school’s welfare policy early on - being forewarned is forearmed. The most important thing is to keep things in their right perspective.

Sheila Dainton sums this up: “Avoid attempting to be Mother Earth. First and foremost you are there to create the best possible learning environment for your pupils. You are not qualified to do the job of social worker - make sure you involve the people who are.”

Finding out more: * As well as turning to books for additional information there are various other sources of advice.

Most of the teacher unions provide guidelines on your legal position in common situations. For example, ATL’s The Legal Position of Student Teachers covers negligence and the duty of care and disciplinary matters. It uses real legal cases to illustrate where you would stand in a court of law.

* Local education authorities and universities usually offer in-service training courses on specific issues as well as on your pastoral role as a whole.

* The National Association for Pastoral Care in Education offers various publications on anything from how a school policy is developed to more specific issues such as helping the bereaved child. It also runs seminars for members, provides a quarterly journal which focuses on topical issues and has 13 local branches across the country where members can meet to share concerns. Tel: 0203 523810 for details.