Union wants better records of violence in Scottish schools

Scotland's biggest teaching union is demanding better recording of violence in schools after it emerged councils could not provide conclusive data to show the extent of the incidents.

The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) said it has received reports of rising numbers of violent incidents.

However, the union claims teachers have been discouraged from reporting them.

Disturbing videos of violent fights between pupils have recently been highlighted in the media.

A video of two girls fighting at Waid Academy in Anstruther two weeks ago sparked the debate over violence and bullying in Scottish schools.

The film, widely shared on social media, showed a girl hitting the 14-year-old victim before pulling her to the floor, punching her on the arm, and kicking her on the head.

The Courier newspaper reported that a boy was knocked unconscious in a fight at the same school on the same day.

The head of the EIS told BBC Scotland she wants better recording of violence in schools because what is currently kept is incomplete.

Andrea Bradley said: "When we tried to gather information from councils about their records, we've had patchy responses.

"There seems to be a reticence and sometimes a reluctance to share that information.

"Councils are perhaps anxious not to appear as though violence is a problem in their schools and in their classrooms, but certainly our priority is to make sure our members and the children and any people they work with have safe and secure environments.

"Our members are encouraged by us to report violent incidents. But we know our members are sometimes discouraged from doing that by employers. That, to some extent, dampens the figures. It gives a false impression of the level of violence that are actually present in our schools."

BBC Scotland asked all of Scotland's councils to provide full statistics on violence against staff and pupils.

Of the 32 local authorities, nine councils could only offer partial data on attacks on teachers and seven didn't provide any data at all. But what data was available showed a 45% increase in the number incidents between pupils.

The EIS said teachers were supposed to fill in incident reports but sometimes this did not happen.

Nicola Sturgeon was asked about the ugly scenes at First Minister's Questions. After watching the video, she told reporters at a later briefing: "I have watched the video from Waid Academy, and it is appalling and sickening.

"Bullying and violence is unacceptable whether it's in a school, after the school day when pupils are on their way home, or frankly in any walk of life."

Scott McGimpsey from the NASUWT union said violence has increased since pupils returned to the classroom following the Covid-19 pandemic.

"What happened in Fife is an extreme case but it is not an isolated case," he said. "And it is staff themselves who have to deal with that type of aggression. There is a fear factor for pupils in their school and for staff in their workplace."

He said some of the incidents were serious and could involve pupils throwing objects including chairs across classrooms.

"We have had situations where lockers have been thrown down stairs, furniture is thrown down stairwells," he added.

Speaking on BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme, Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: "Any form of violence and bullying has no place in our schools. That is unacceptable and any case is one too many.

"While it is for schools and councils as the employers to decide on action in individual cases, we do need to work together - national government, local government and the unions to ensure we are providing a space where children and young people feel safe and supported in their lessons each and every day."

She said it was "concerning" to hear teachers were discouraged from reporting and hoped local authorities would take the issue "exceptionally seriously."

Local authority body Cosla said councils take the issue of safety in schools extremely seriously and every incident is dealt with in an appropriate manner.

In December last year, teachers at a school in Aberdeen voted in favour of industrial action over pupil violence against staff.

The union said violence against teachers, both physical and verbal, perpetrated by a very small percentage of pupils, had become far too frequent at Northfield Academy.

And in November, teachers at Bannerman High in Glasgow announced 12 days of strike action over violent and abusive pupil behaviour.