A Scottish teaching union has uncovered stories of staff being head-butted, kicked, shoved and spat at. One teacher, it says, was attacked with a scooter and kicked in the chest, which resulted in unconsciousness. Another was hit in the abdomen with a window pole.
There were also “multiple reports” of furniture, including chairs, being thrown across classrooms, according to the union, which has put together its findings in a briefing for MSPs.
The details of violent incidents in schools emerge in a behaviour survey conducted by the NASUWT, which received responses from 358 members in Scotland.
The vast majority of respondents reported that pupils exhibiting physically violent and abusive behaviours had increased in the past 12 months (93 per cent) - with most reporting being on the end of either verbal abuse or violence (94 per cent).
NASUWT Scotland is now calling for “concerted action at school and national levels to reduce the incidence of violence, abuse and poor pupil behaviour”.
In Scotland, there has been a move away from punitive discipline to a focus on building relationships and promoting positive behaviour.
But recently, a deterioration in behaviour in the wake of the pandemic has been hitting the headlines and in May, education secretary Jenny Gilruth said she would convene a summit on violence in schools.
Ahead of that event - which is due to take place next month - the NASUWT is calling for strengthened national guidance on behaviour management including “appropriate consequences” like pupil exclusion “where absolutely necessary”.
Where restorative approaches are used, the union says, these should not be “seen in isolation” and should be “part of a wider suite of behaviour management approaches”, which include “the possibility of more serious consequences”.
It also wants better recording of incidents; more support for staff who experience abuse or violence; and more professional development when it comes to behaviour management approaches.
It says more school-based counsellors would also take the pressure off teachers - the Scottish government has long promised a counsellor for every secondary - as well as expanded provision of free school meals.
Patrick Roach, NASUWT general secretary, said teachers were being blamed for poor pupil behaviour but employers needed to “accept their responsibilities for promoting good order”.
Dr Roach added: “It is clear teachers are not getting the protection and back-up they deserve. We need concerted action at school and national levels to reduce the incidence of violence, abuse and poor pupil behaviour and restore calm to our schools.”
Mike Corbett, NASUWT national official for Scotland, said that restorative approaches had too often become “synonymous with no consequences or sanctions for poor behaviour” and “they should not be used as a one-size-fits-all approach to managing pupil behaviour, particularly incidents of serious violence and abuse”.
He added that the union would continue to take all steps, up to and including industrial action in individual schools, to support teachers’ right to work in safety.
