Attacks on Teachers has reached shocking levels

It seems barely a week can pass without another school shooting in America - and while we may think ourselves lucky that our children are not under such risk of violence in their places of study, we should be aware that UK classrooms can still be a dangerous place, for both pupils and teachers.

The Labor force survey, conducted by the office for national statistics, investigates the employment circumstances of the UK population. In a recently published major study it questioned 40,000 UK residents, asking them about any work related injuries - specifically those injuries relating to an assault.

The study lasted six years, covering the period between 2009 and 2015 - and its results were shocking. It found that there were on average 8000 attacks per year in primary and secondary schools - actual attacks that were severe enough that the teacher was required to report them.

The GMB (General and Municipal Workers) trade union instigated its own survey in 2016, specifically focussing on support staff - ; and the results depicted a dismal account of violence against teachers in schools. An astonishing 54% of teaching assistants said they have been physically assaulted or abused, with one in ten saying they are on average assaulted once a month. 9% list a single assault per term, and 17% said they have been assaulted in the past year. Almost 25% of support teachers also said that they are verbally abused by pupils at least once a week.

Some of the specific cases make for disturbing reading, with staff saying they have been punched and kicked, and even strangled in class; other teachers said they have had all kinds of projectiles, including tables and chairs, thrown at them. 29% of support staff say they have been injured by pupils, and 21% said it has had a detrimental effect on their working life. One teacher, who wished to remain anonymous, told of the ongoing fear they live with after being assaulted by a child in school:

`I was extremely shocked and frightened and feel emotionally exhausted - I am very worried this child will attempt to attack me again. I have said I don`t want the child anywhere near me.`

Imagine an administrative job, or a position in any well known bank or other private sector position, where more than one in five of the staff said workplace violence was having a determent ail effect on their ability to perform their tasks. Such a shocking statistic would be rightfully decried as unacceptable - it would be classed as a scandal, and the company in which such atrocities took place would be excoriated in the press. Because these widespread misdemeanours are occurring in schools though, little notice seems to be given to them.

There are also unsettling signs that this problem is only getting worse, with figures revealed under the Freedom of Information Act showing that across the whole of the UK there has been a 50% increase reported to the police between 2014 and 2016.

Karen Leonard, a national officer for the GMB said `No one should have to put up with being attacked while at work and our members are no different. The results of this survey make truly disturbing reading, with teaching assistants, caretakers, lunchtime supervisors and more experiencing shocking levels of violence. Many are left with terrible mental and physical scars. GMB demands a zero-tolerance approach to violence in schools with proper, reliable support systems in place for those who do experience it.`

I have heard stories from friends of mine, teachers working in London and other cities in the UK, who tell me they are often afraid to even restrain a pupil who is attacking them, so severe could be the repercussions. In the litigious society we live in caution and restraint must be the mantras for teachers in the classroom, whatever the violence of the situation.

The Department of Education attempted to address this issue, recently saying a `tough but proportionate` response by teachers when faced with violence were acceptable.

`This government has taken decisive action to put teachers back in charge of the classroom by giving them the powers they need to tackle poor behaviour and discipline, and has scrapped `no touch` rules that stopped teachers removing disruptive pupils from classrooms. Teachers and school staff have a right to feel safe while doing their jobs, and violence towards them is completely unacceptable.`