The NASUWT teaching union will hold a fringe meeting at the SNP annual conference in Aberdeen this Sunday to highlight what it describes as “the worrying decline in pupil behaviour in Scotland’s schools”.
It will set out three key steps it believes must be taken immediately to “help halt the growth of serious violence and disorder in classrooms”.
These will include:
- Strengthening national behaviour guidance for schools “to make it clear that appropriate sanctions, including exclusion, should be applied by every school”.
- Establishing “a consistent system of monitoring, reporting, recording and responding to incidents of violence and abuse across schools”.
- Improving behaviour-management training for school leaders and teachers.
The call comes after a summit on behaviour in schools was convened by education secretary Jenny Gilruth in September, with more meetings to follow.
At the fringe meeting this Sunday, the NASUWT will also call on the education secretary to produce a timetable for the SNP to fulfil its manifesto commitment of a 90-minute reduction in teachers’ weekly class-contact time.
The union said: “Despite pledges to address excessive teacher workload, the SNP has failed to introduce the planned measures.”
Behaviour: Teachers ‘facing violence and abuse’
Dr Patrick Roach, general secretary of the NASUWT, said: “Pupil behaviour and workload are two of the main factors driving teachers out of the profession and deterring new entrants.
“No party can fulfil its responsibility to secure a world-class education system that allows all children and young people to flourish and succeed without acting effectively to tackle these issues.”
Mike Corbett, NASUWT national official for Scotland, said: “While we welcome recent moves from the Scottish government to gather more evidence around the problem of pupil behaviour, the reality is that teachers across Scotland are facing violence and abuse in their classrooms on a daily basis.
“They need and deserve protection and to know that they will be supported when they report violence and abuse.”
Mr Corbett added: “The SNP needs to show it is on the side of teachers, through both acting to ensure there is a clear expectation that poor behaviour will not be tolerated in any school and by putting in place promised measures to tackle workload.”
