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2 Oct 2012
The number of attacks on head teachers in Scotland’s schools has almost trebled in the past three years.
Scottish Government research into pupil behaviour has revealed the number of heads experiencing physical violence has jumped by three per cent since 2009.
There were three attacks amongst 246 staff in 2009 compared with eight attacks from 257 staff in 2012.
The statistics also revealed that among both secondary teachers and support staff there has been an increase in the proportion encountering pupils using mobile phones abusively between 2009 and 2012.
Scottish Conservative education spokeswoman Liz Smith MSP said:
“The dramatic increase in the number of heads who have experienced physical abuse in their own school is a shocking indictment of the poor discipline that exists in many of our schools.
“It is also disturbing to learn that physical and verbal abuse amongst pupils is becoming far too common in our classrooms.
“Violence in schools is simply unacceptable and there needs to be a zero-tolerance approach from the authorities.
“Whilst I accept that more and more of our young people now have access to mobile phones, they should have no place in the classroom.
“Their use not only disrupts fellow pupils, but also undermines the authority of the teacher- none of which is conducive to a positive learning environment.”
Notes to Editors
The Scottish Government has released the results of research into pupil behaviour.
Amongst the most damning findings (below) is that there has been a three-fold increase in the number of heads who had experienced physical violence since 2009.
There has been an increase in secondary heads’ personal experience of physical violence in the last 12 months: 3% (8 of 257) of secondary heads had experienced this in 2012, compared with 1% (3 of 246) in 2009.Serious disruptive behaviour in the classroom has, on the whole, decreased since 2006. However, among both secondary teachers and support staff there has been an increase in the proportion encountering pupils using mobile phones abusively between 2009 and 2012. Primary teachers reported an increase in pupils ‘talking out of turn’. One-third of primary teachers, 27% of secondary teachers, 53% of primary support staff and 47% of secondary support staff reported experiencing pupil-to-pupil physical aggression in the last week, while 34% of primary teachers, 47% of secondary teachers, 47% of primary support staff and 64% of secondary support staff saw pupil-to-pupil general verbal abuse in the classroom in the last week.
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