Falkirk Council: EIS calls for more to be done to tackle classroom violence

Responses to the EIS survey came from almost 900 schools, with 82.7 per cent saying there are incidents of violence and aggression every week.

More than 72 per cent of branches stated that the amount of physical and verbal aggression has grown in the last four years.

In primary and special education schools, the survey found “physical violence towards a teacher” to be the most common, whilst, in secondary schools, “intimidatory, obscene or derogatory verbal comments towards a teacher” were faced most often.

The union says “violence and aggression” includes verbal abuse or threats, including face-to-face, online and via telephone as well as physical attacks.

And it is concerned that support for teachers dealing with such problems is inconsistent.

Just 11 per cent of branches felt that teachers were “always” supported after an incident had been reported, while 63 per cent stated that teachers were “sometimes” supported.

More than a quarter of branches (26.1 per cent) stated that teachers were never supported after an incident.

The union will now be sharing the results of the survey with the Scottish Government and local authorities.

Colin Finlay, chair of the EIS local association in Falkirk, was not surprised by the results which he says accurately reflect the situation in Falkirk.

Mr Finlay has previously raised the issue with the local authority and he hopes the national report will help focus attention on the problem.

He said: “It’s certainly something that I have been hearing about from members for a long time but it feels like it has taken a long time for it to be taken seriously.”

However, he says that Falkirk is actually slightly ahead of many other local authorities in tackling the problem as it now has an online system for recording such incidents.

That is a step in the right direction, he believes, as it is helping to map “hot spots” and focus on areas that need attention.

The EIS says its vital that the Scottish Government and local authorities work together to create effective policies – and to make sure that resources and training are there to help schools deal effectively with such behaviour.

Likewise, Mr Finlay says his members want to see Falkirk Council establish a co-ordinated policy that builds on some of the very good practice that is currently working well in some schools.

He believes the first step towards tackling the problem is to acknowledge just how serious it is.

Mr Finlay added: “You have to remember that there is a cost to the local authority. If teachers are off sick because of physlcal injury or because of stress because they were assaulted they will need to be replaced in the classroom.”

He is also worried that good teachers will walk away from the job due to the scale of the problem.

“One of things I have dealt with this year is teacher’s saying ‘it’s not for me’. They have just had enough,” he said.

“There is no other workplace where violence and assault are just accepted – when firefighters or police are attacked it’s front page news, but teachers just have to put up with it.”

A spokesperson for Falkirk Council said: “Falkirk takes this matter very seriously. Considerable work has been done with our Trade Union colleagues and school leaders to ensure concerns are recorded appropriately and responded to.

“Work is also undertaken to monitor and review the recorded data and assess what further actions are required to support our teaching staff, all staff working in schools and pupils.”