Teachers’ leaders are demanding action amid concerns that “workplace violence” is “becoming normalised” in Scotland’s schools.
The NASUWT teaching union has claimed that in “too many schools, verbal and physical abuse against teachers is going unchallenged”.
General secretary Patrick Roach wants the Scottish government to make “strong and unequivocal statements about the rights of teachers to a safe working environment”.
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The union will discuss the issue at a Scottish online conference on Saturday.
Dr Roach said that restorative behaviour policies used to deal with some incidents - which prioritise attempts to discuss and resolve conflict - are “becoming synonymous in too many cases with no punishment or sanctions for unacceptable behaviour”.
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A motion, to be discussed during the event, “notes with concern that ‘workplace violence’ is becoming normalised as part of teaching”, and highlights “increased use of restorative conversations across Scotland’s local authorities”.
The motion goes on to state that “the health of teachers in schools is being put at risk by pupil indiscipline, firstly by the stress induced and secondly by the increased risk of more serious incidents through tolerating this indiscipline”.
Concerns have also been raised that the education and wellbeing of children in schools is “compromised through tolerating this indiscipline and violence”.
Dr Roach said: “In too many schools, verbal and physical abuse against teachers is going unchallenged.
“There is a growing culture in schools of ‘blame the teacher’ rather than holding pupils accountable for their behaviour, and this is being aided and abetted in some cases by the misuse and abuse of restorative behaviour policies, which are becoming synonymous in too many cases with no punishment or sanctions for unacceptable behaviour.
“While good behaviour management policies encourage pupils to reflect on their own behaviour, they also have in place clear and consistently enforced sanctions for verbal abuse or physical violence and make clear to all pupils that such behaviour will not be tolerated.”
He added: “No teacher should go to work with the expectation that they will be either verbally or physically abused. All teachers are entitled to dignity at work and a safe working environment.
“Teachers are being disempowered by the failure of government to ensure that, across the country, behaviour policies are supporting teachers in maintaining high standards of discipline.”
