Teachers raped, assaulted & threatened with murder
Shocking classroom attacks
A HORRIFYING catalogue of almost 4,500 crimes against teaching staff in the past three years has been revealed in police figures.
There have been rapes, assaults and threats of murder in classrooms as well as claims of stalking, abuse and false imprisonment.
One head of a West Midlands school said: “Many teachers feel classrooms are turning into war zones as pupils run riot.
“They face massive amounts of stress, paperwork and anxiety on a daily basis and this only adds to it. We have a crisis in our classrooms and the Government is doing nothing.” The lawlessness was uncovered by a Lib Dem freedom of information request. Police have recorded 4,499 crimes against teachers and staff on “educational premises” since 2015. The toll could be greater as offences go unreported and not all forces responded. Among the most serious crimes, Lancashire Police recorded a rape last year and North Wales Police dealt with the same offence in 2015.
There were 16 threats to kill and 25 other sexual offences, including 13 sex assaults — while the Met Police have also recorded an offence of false imprisonment.
The data did not specify whether suspects were pupils, fellow staff or parents but most are thought to be children.
Chris Keates, from teaching union NASUWT, said: “No teacher should face violence and abuse. There are still too many employers who seek to conceal incidents and put pressure on staff not to report them.” Layla Moran, Lib Dem education spokeswoman, said: “These numbers highlight the incredible pressure some teachers are under in our schools.” A separate study by the GMB union found more than half of UK school support staff have suffered violence. One teaching assistant lost her unborn baby after being kicked in the stomach. Violence in schools was highlighted when Will Cornick, then 15, stabbed to death his Spanish teacher Ann Maguire, 61, at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds. He was sentenced in 2014 to life with a 20-year minimum.