The Ardross-man: Discipline needed to tackle pupil violence in schools

In our Social Impact Report last year, we reported on the latest YouGov research that revealed that school teachers experience regular aggression and even violence from school children, with one in seven secondary school teachers (15 per cent) saying they experience violence from a pupil at least once a month, including five per cent who say they are subject to attacks at least once a week.

This was closely followed by a recent UNISON report which confirmed that teaching assistants have reported being kicked, punched and spat at by pupils in mainstream primary and secondary schools.

Unfortunately, violence in schools is not new. Extensive data already existed regarding pupil-on-pupil violence plus aggression towards teachers and senior managers.

However, this new analysis was the first to include the violence and aggression faced by teaching and classroom assistants in England, Scotland and Wales.

All described being the target of student aggression in a range of ways, including being hit in the face, punched, kicked and bitten. Researchers found that in several cases staff even reported receiving death threats from pupils.

Now some people may think this is just children being children but the list of physical injuries teaching assistants have suffered is horrendous and has included cuts, a black eye, a dislocated thumb, a broken finger and ripped ligaments.

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Staff also reported a range of psychological problems including stress, anxiety and depression. Two workers were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

The report also noted that the response of schools to attacks was sometimes inadequate. Teaching assistants felt the message from their employers was that it was their job to manage pupil violence – without any training on how to effectively do this.

This, combined with their low status, normalised violence against them.

 The report was compiled by University of Roehampton’s criminologist Dr Amanda Holt, who commented: “The shocking experiences described by staff who took part in the research reflect a much wider problem highlighted in an earlier survey by UNISON.

"This found 53 per cent of teaching assistants had experienced physical violence from students in the previous year.”

Breaking down incidents of pupil violence and aggression into Scottish schools, the UNISON report showed that more than 22,000 violent attacks by pupils in the classroom were reported to council staff during 2021.

The report concluded that the situation is now at "crisis point" and called for new legislation to protect school staff members. This was confirmed by the union’s senior education health and safety representative in Glasgow, Sylvia Haughney, who is also a pupil support worker of 24 years.

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She said: "Members have reported incidents from swearing, spitting and kicking to sexual assault, being punched, even getting their jaw broken.

"When people are routinely abused at work, they absorb a lot of that and not all of it is being reported. It’s now at crisis point.”

Now bear in mind, this report was talking about a crisis point in 2021 and nothing has changed. So what is the answer?

My opinion is that schools should be allowed to discipline children again. Without disciplinary action a school, like a workplace, cannot function effectively.

Now, I’m not suggesting bringing back corporal punishment but I am suggesting bringing back things like detention.

But the naysayers will say 'you can’t do that because you need to ask the parent’s permission first'.

Alan Bell, of the Scottish Centre for Personal Safety (Image: Alan Bell) Well, unfortunately nine times out of 10, the parents say “No” as either they can’t be bothered, or they need wee Johnnie home on time – usually to babysit his younger siblings.

Parents need to realise that wee Johnnie is misbehaving and getting him under control in the classroom should always come first.

I’d also send unruly children out of the classroom to visit the principal, I mean why allow them to stay and disrupt the entire class?

But this too is frowned upon these days as the child is under the teacher’s care.

So if the child then left the classroom and instead of visiting the principal’s office, walked out of school, the teacher would be held responsible.

It is, in my opinion, utter nonsense.

The child could leave school between lessons or during intervals. Who is responsible then?

I’d also take away a disruptive child’s privileges, for instance continuous misbehaving will result in not being allowed to go on school-run holidays, musicals, sporting events and outings.

I don’t agree with rewarding troublesome children with trips to Arran and funfairs to “help them heal”.

And last but not least, if all else fails, ban them from the school.

But the naysayers will say you can’t do that these days either as it’s against their human rights.

What about the teachers’ human rights? Sadly, without the ability to discipline children, schools are on a downward spiral.

Teachers will continue to be assaulted, classrooms will continue to be disrupted, education standards will continue to drop, and teachers will continue to have nervous breakdowns and look for work elsewhere instead of making teaching their career. Something needs to change – and quickly.

What are your thoughts? How would you deal with unruly, violent or disruptive children in schools?