Teacher stabbed in neck by boy with sharpened pencil

● Pupil arrested as parents fear their children at risk

A 15-year-old boy has been charged with using a sharpened pencil to stab a teacher in the neck.

He was arrested after allegedly attacking the woman teacher in front of shocked students at a secondary school in Fife on 25 September.

The boy cannot be named and the high school concerned cannot be identified for legal reasons. The teacher is said to be recovering.

A report into the incident has been submitted to the Children’s Reporter.

The EIS teaching union claimed incidents of violence against teachers were happening with “alarming regularity” in schools across the region as behaviour in some schools reached crisis point.

Parents have also expressed fears for their children who, they said, were being put at risk.

One parent said: “Over three weeks ago a serious incident occurred whereby a male fourth year pupil deliberately stabbed a female teacher in the neck with a sharpened pencil which embedded in the left side of her neck.

“This incident took place in front of other students.

“As a parent of one of these pupils, it is beyond belief that my child may be put at serious risk as this offender can return to school with no consequences.”

David Farmer, publicity officer with Fife EIS, said schools were dealing with physical or verbal violence on a daily basis.

“It does happen with alarming regularity and our fear is something really bad is going to happen,” he said.

“I can think of teachers who have been kicked, spat on and beaten by kids who do know what they are doing.”

Mr Farmer said the EIS supported restorative practices where, if a child behaved violently towards a teacher, dia- logue would be opened up between them to restore the situation.

But he called for consequences for pupils for whom this did not work.

Fife Council said it took the safety of all children and staff seriously.

Education manager Gordon Wardrope said: “Where incidents do occur these are dealt with timeously by the school.

“On the rare occasion that there are more serious incidents, schools work in partnership with Fife Police to respond appropriately.”

A police spokesman confirmed a 15-year-old boy had been charged with the assault of a female teacher at a school on 25 September.