TEACHERS UNDER FIRE AS WEAPON ATTACKS DOUBLE
Knives, scissors and hockey sticks used in assaults on staff
WEAPON attacks on Glasgow’s school teachers doubled last year, new figures have revealed.
Knives, scissors, hockey sticks and lunchboxes were among the items used by pupils to strike education staff on 92 occasions throughout the city’s schools.
Primary and secondary school teachers were physically assaulted 858 times – up from 576 in 2015/16.
And that has left many fearing for their safety, according to leading teachers’ union, the Educational Institute of Scotland.
Susan Quinn, EIS Local Association Secretary for Glasgow, said: “This is one of the biggest areas of concern for teachers.
“We have had a range of teachers who have contacted us after they’ve been assaulted.
“We can have very busy weeks but I would say that in terms of teachers reporting it in the past couple of years it has been a more regular feature.
“It all centres around teachers having to do more with less. It can also be to do with young people who are in mainstream schools who might have been in other establishments in the past.
“If the support staff are not in place or there are teacher shortages through absence or other means, and if the support plan isn’t working properly it can result in difficult situations.”
The figures, uncovered in a Freedom of Information request to the council, showed that staff were assaulted with filing cabinets, stones and computer equipment last year.
But pupils were also reported to have used items such as paper plates, balls and so-called soggy-bombs – wet paper towels – to attack teachers.
The FOI revealed that there were 45 instances of pupils using weapons to attack teachers in 2015/16.
Items used that year included bricks and chairs, with puppets and balloons also listed as weapons.
And there were also 7489 verbal and physical attacks on teachers between 2012 and 2015.
A spokeswoman for the EIS said that most incidents recorded in schools were of a low-level in nature.
She added: “School discipline continues to be a major issue for teachers, parents and pupils alike.
“Thankfully, serious disruption and violence continue to be a much less common problem than persistent low-level disruption such as talking out of turn or texting in class.
“However, it is essential that when serious incidents do occur, they are dealt with swiftly and firmly – this may include police involvement where a teacher or pupil has been physically assaulted or placed under severe threat.”
Last week it was revealed that across Scotland there were 428 exclusions for pupil-on-pupil assaults with weapons, including knives.
A further 311 instances involved improvised weapons attacks.
The number of secondary school pupils suspended dropped from 842 to 834 while primary school exclusions rose from 238 to 310.
That total – 1144 – is down
This is one of the biggest areas of concern for teachers
from 7539 in 2007 – the largest drop in Scotland.
A Glasgow City Council spokeswoman said: “We have a zero tolerance of any violent behaviour towards staff – our staff need to feel safe in their work.
“Children and young people need positive role models in order to improve and learn how to manage their behaviour.
“This cannot be done in isolation but needs to be done as part of a school community.
“That’s why Glasgow invests so much in early intervention and nurturing principles across our nurseries, primary and secondary schools.”
The council has around 15 campus cops i n its schools across the city in an initiative aimed at improving the educational and social environment for pupils.
Despite that, Police Scotland refused to comment on the number of attacks on teachers.