Dramatic rise in violence towards teachers

“The scale of assaults being reported contributes to ill-health and stress among teachers” Larry Flanagan, Secretary General of EIS, told the Scottish Daily Record. He went on to suggest that more needs to be done to support teachers in particularly troubling regions, such as East Lothian, where teachers suffered 464 attacks by pupils in the last academic year.

Variety of Weapons

With 2000 incidents reported last year alone, and as many as 10 teachers being assaulted every day in some parts of Scotland, a six-year-old was caught with a knife and other children were found carrying meat cleavers, machetes and knuckle-dusters. Figures show a total of 484 weapons were taken from children under the age of 16.

“Teachers have the right not to be intimidated or assaulted”, says TSN

Julian Stanley, CEO of Teacher Support Network, commented on the issue last year, saying that “Teachers have the right not to be intimidated or assaulted in their workplace. Pupils need to know that their actions will have serious consequences and teachers need to know that they are supported through the use of effective sanctions.”

He went on to say that “In the light of the rioting in streets across England, it is more important than ever that communities support teachers in helping to instil and maintain discipline and good behaviour in schools. Strong leadership with clear rules, expectations and a zero tolerance approach to physical and verbal assaults on teachers must be the order of the day”.