Schools see 10,000 assaults on teachers in only three years
ALMOST 10,000 attacks on teachers have taken place in Scotland’s schools in fewer than three years.
Assaults on teachers are now commonplace in primary and secondary schools.
In 2015-16, there were 3,681 ‘violent attacks’ on teaching staff by pupils or parents – 3 per cent higher than the 3,572 in 2014-15. In the current financial year, there have been 2,290 attacks.
Over the period, there were 9,543 incidents.
Scottish Lib Dem education spokesman Tavish Scott said: ‘It is utterly unacceptable for anyone to be assaulted at work. It is no different for teachers, yet they have been the victim of attacks on almost 10,000 occasions since 2014.
‘These are incredibly concerning figures. Teachers work day in, day out to make sure our children are given every opportunity to achieve their potential and get on in life.
‘Children and teachers must feel their school is a safe place where they feel comfortable, confident and ready to learn. Violence, or even the fear of such disruption, can hold that back.
‘The Scottish Government must set out how it will support local authorities and schools in tackling this problem and reversing this worrying trend.’
The figures were obtained by the Lib Dems following a series of Freedom of Information requests to Scotland’s 32 local authorities.
Based on the data, there have been an average of nearly four attacks per school since 2014-15. The true figure will be even higher, as five councils were unable to provide the data.
In 186 cases, police were called or the matter was taken to court. In the current year, 1,218 attacks took place in Glasgow.
The next highest was Stirling at 292, then Fife on 188, Angus with 140 and Moray at 75.
Three councils – Clackmannanshire, Orkney and the Western Isles – have not had a single attack since 2014-15.
The Scottish Government published Scottish Schools Research in 2012, which suggested only 1 per cent of secondary school heads and teachers had experienced violence.
It has introduced anti-violence initiatives including No Knives, Better Lives, school-based police officers and Mentors in Violence Prevention to attempt to tackle the problem.
The Scottish Government is carrying out more research on the prevalence of violence in schools, which it is due to publish next year.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘The vast majority of pupils are well-behaved.
‘However, any attack on a teacher is one too many and the Scottish Government is committed to working with our partners to continue to improve relationships and behaviour in schools.’
Over the weekend, it emerged teachers and lecturers in Scotland had been paid more than £600,000 in compensation for injuries in the past year – including assaults and accidents.
Payouts to members of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) union included £55,000 to a teacher who was grabbed by the neck and jumped on by a pupil.
Another was awarded £6,200 after being punched and kicked in the neck, stomach and legs by a pupil. A third received £12,500 for back pain caused by carrying a heavy box without handles.
Another got £12,000 for a knee fracture after tripping over a door wedge; while the same amount was paid to one who slipped on black ice in a school car park and broke an arm. Total payouts for the year were £608,925.
EIS general secretary Larry Flanagan said: ‘The most common cause of injuries continues to be accidents such as slips, trips and falls. These are also the types of incidents that are entirely avoidable with correct adherence to appropriate health and safety procedures in the workplace.’
Mr Flanagan denied the payouts were an indication of a compensation culture. He said awards would be reduced if insurance firms took less time to admit liability.
‘Any attack is one too many’