229 attacks on teachers by pupils over five years

THERE were more than 200 attacks on teachers at Birmingham schools over the last five years, new figures have revealed.

Teachers were left with fractures, sprains and bruises after being punched and bitten by unruly pupils. Figures obtained by the Birmingham Post show there has been a rise in attacks on teachers at the city’s schools since 2017.

There was a total of 229 incidents, with 60 of them occuring in 2021 – the highest in that five-year period. There were 17 assaults in 2017, 46 in 2018, 59 in 2019 and 47 in 2020. There were also 65 separate assaults on other school staff over the five years.

In most cases, the teachers who had come under attack suffered minor injuries, such as pain and discomfort or bruising.

Teachers and staff were bitten on 47 occasions, while three assaults led to fractures and two caused concussion. The data, released under the Freedom of Information Act, highlights the risks some teachers face on a daily basis. A recent survey found nearly a quarter of teachers experience violence on a weekly basis.

A teacher was taken to hospital after being repeatedly punched by a parent at the gates of Birmingham’s Hall Green Primary School in March.

Birmingham City Council said some of the assaults may have involved children who have behavioural difficulties.

The NASUWT teaching union’s general secretary, Chris Keates, said in 2019: “No teacher should ever have to go to work with the expectation of being verbally or physically abused, but it is clear that for too many teachers this is the day-to-day reality.”