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Teachers to take industrial action over pupil behaviour

Lucy Adams
Social Affairs Correspondent
BBC A view from across the street of Kirkintilloch High School - a large sign with the school name on it is sitting on grass, while a road leads into the premises. The building is mostly tan and brown shades, with a car park nearby. BBC
Teachers at the school say their concerns have not been dealt with by management

Teachers at a school in East Dunbartonshire are to take industrial action after claiming pupils face "no consequences" for abuse and violent behaviour.

Staff at Kirkintilloch High School said they had repeatedly raised concerns but claimed they had been "gaslit" by management, including being told their lessons were not exciting enough.

From 5 February teachers will refuse to cover classes, and will not take trips or activities, although the action will stop short of a strike.

East Dunbartonshire Council said it was in discussions with teaching unions over the concerns.

Teachers at the school claim they regularly face swearing and violence, with pupils allowed to "roam around" corridors when they should be in class.

According to the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) union, staff believe pupils face "no serious consequences" for their behaviour and that restorative approaches are overused.

Mike Corbett, a Scotland national official for the NASUWT, said: "Members feel blamed and gaslit by management for the poor behaviour of pupils.

"They report being told at debriefing meetings that their lessons are 'not fun or engaging enough'.

"A culture where there are no consequences for poor behaviour is not setting up pupils well for adult life and fails the employers' duty of care towards its staff."

Avoiding 'further risk'

Teachers at Bannerman High School in Glasgow took industrial action in 2022 because of violence in classrooms.

Rod McCready, the NASUWT national executive member for East Dunbartonshire, added: "In a school where there is a culture of abuse and violence from pupils, our members are not willing at the present time to put themselves at further risk by taking such classes."

Ann Davie, the chief executive of East Dunbartonshire Council, said the local authority was aware of the proposed action.

She said: "We have fully engaged with the school management regarding NASUWT staff concerns and we are currently in discussions with the union to try to resolve the issues they have brought forward."

Teachers in Scotland previously reported growing concerns over violent behaviour by pupils.

Last year a survey by the EIS union found almost half the teachers in Aberdeen had reported violent pupil behaviour in school every day, and more than a third said they had been physically assaulted.