The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Teachers on the edge amid claims of pupil violence
Almost a quarter said to have considered quitting amid ‘severe stress’
A “VERY worrying” new report has revealed almost a quarter of Aberdeen’s teachers are considering abandoning the classroom in the face of high levels of physical and verbal abuse.
Almost two-thirds say they have been violently targeted by pupils, with many punched or kicked on school grounds.
And almost 90% say they are battling through the hardships without adequate support from Aberdeen City Council.
The EIS teaching union has compiled the worrying revelations in a new report to which more than 600 teachers have contributed.
It tells of “severe stress” and contains claims “rarely a day goes by” without teachers facing some form of abuse.
Joint EIS Aberdeen secretary Ron Constable said: “Teachers are experiencing high levels of physical and verbal abuse, coupled with the additional strains of teaching during the pandemic.
“This is placing severe stress on our members right across the city.”
The city council said the safety and wellbeing of staff and pupils is of the “utmost priority”.
Nearly half the teachers in Aberdeen are considering quitting after being subject to “high levels” of physical and verbal abuse.
The shocking finding comes from a survey which reveals almost two-thirds have been violently targeted by pupils.
Being punched (36.29%) and kicked (40%) were the main forms of assault in Granite City schools.
Almost 90% of teachers feel Aberdeen City Council needs to offer more support.
The EIS teaching union sought evidence from more than 600 of its city members last November and has now released the findings.
Union bosses said the poll results highlight the “severe stress” their members are under.
A previous survey in 2019 revealed nearly one in three teachers in Aberdeen were thinking about walking away.
As well as responding to the survey’s questions, teachers also left comments about violence in Aberdeen’s schools.
One said “rarely a day” went by without assaults or abuse aimed at staff.
Another said the city was losing “a lot of good” teachers because of regular violence.
One of the teachers said that after almost a quarter of a century in the classroom they had never known this kind of behaviour.
The teacher wrote: “After teaching in the same school now for 24 years, I have never witnessed or experienced the level of behaviour and abuse which we now suffer on a day-today basis.
“Our staff are regularly sworn at, assaulted, and totally disrespected.
“Classrooms regularly get trashed by certain children, resulting in the whole class having to be evacuated for their safety.”
Joint EIS Aberdeen secretary Ron Constable said teachers are having to face violence while dealing with the impact of the coronavirus crisis.
He said the comments from teachers highlight that the right kind of support is not in place.
Mr Constable said: “The returns from our local survey makes for very worrying reading. Teachers are experiencing high levels of physical and verbal abuse, coupled with the additional strains of teaching during the pandemic.
“This is placing severe stress on our members.
“It is also evident from the comments that teachers are concerned about the level of support available to deal with violent incidents.
“The survey results and comments send a very clear message.”
He called for Aberdeen City Council to heed that message.
Councillor Yvonne Allan, convener of staff governance for Aberdeen City Council said: “The safety and wellbeing of staff and pupils is the utmost priority for Aberdeen City Council.”
She said the EIS report recognises the “collaborative and cooperative approach” the council and the union have.
“As the report indicates, we have worked positively to create a new incident reporting process and a sub-committee dedicated to ensuring the safety of staff. However, we are never complacent. We appreciate that we still have work to do.
“We look forward to continuing to work with our trade unions to help ensure that our schools staff have all the support they need to be able to undertake their valuable work.”