Review – Radix TeacherView Radix Technologies
An easy way for teaching staff to earn extra money in the holidays Ultimate Activity Camps
Making maths count towards climate change Whizz Education
Nominations are open now for Royal Society of Chemistry Education prizes 2022 Royal Society of Chemistry
‘Classroom Stories’ returns to celebrate the best of education Promethean
Oxford University Press Courses
Review – Radix TeacherView
Well Schools – A practical guide to measuring wellbeing in schools
Staff wellbeing ideas teachers – Why I cancelled a staff meeting
Critical literacy – Guidance for teachers
The Association of Teachers and Lecturers has published the results of a survey into the level of violence directed at teachers by pupils.
The survey was carried out in autumn 2015 among 1250 education staff employed in state schools. 43% of respondents reported having to deal with at least one instance of physical violence from a pupil within the past year. Of those, 77% reported having been pushed, 52% kicked, 50% confronted with pupils throwing furniture at them and 37% being punched.
68% of all respondents meanwhile reported having dealt with various forms of physical aggression – including not just kicks and punches, but also spitting, scratching and stabbing – at some point over the course of their career.
The survey also asked education staff about their experience of challenging behaviour in a wider sense. 89% of the staff surveyed stated having dealt with challenging or disruptive pupils within the past year; just over half (50.8%) said that doing so had caused them stress, and 41% that it had caused them anxiety.
The results also hint at the implications of such figures. As a direct result of dealing with challenging behaviour, 10% of respondents said they had to visit their doctor, 26% had considered changing schools and 35% had considered leaving the profession altogether. 45% of all respondents felt that pupil behaviour had become worse over the past two years.
Commenting on the results, ATL general secretary Dr Mary Bousted said, “Many schools do excellent work day in, day out, to help pupils stay on track and to keep schools a safe place for pupils and staff. But schools need support from social and health services and parents to deal with the complex issues many pupils face due to chaotic home lives or mental health issues.
“Schools need firm and consistent discipline policies in place and support from parents to ensure they support pupils the best they can.”
Earlier this week, The Mirror reported that schoolteachers received nearly £400,000 in compensation payouts in 2015, after being physically injured by violent students and pupils.
Some examples of the pupil aggression cited anonymously by the survey’s respondents:
“A pupil, who was destructive when upset and turned over tables and chairs and shouted at other children, showed signs of similar behaviour. To ensure their safety, I asked all the children to move away and he shouted out, kicked his chair over and stomped out of the room. By calmly talking to the pupil outside the classroom the situation was defused.” – Supply teacher, Warwickshire
“Pencil stabbed in my head.” – Primary SEN staff member, Bedfordshire
“Sprayed in the face with deodorant” – Secondary academy teacher, Suffolk
“Stones thrown at my house.” – Academy teacher, Yorkshire
“I was injured as a result of silly behaviour by a student and I suffered a dislocated finger.” – Member of secondary academy support staff, Staffordshire
For more information, visit www.atl.org.uk or follow @atlunion
In partnership with
Make sure your assessment is effective with these expert insights.
For teaching staff the school holidays are a very welcome and needed break after a...
Written by Fiona Goddard, education consultant at Whizz Education
Maths is a powerful tool in tackling...
At a glance State-of-the-art distance learning platform Designed to help teachers support students’ learning in the classroom, at home or a combination of both Includes sophisticated classroom management and video conferencing capabilities Features...
Well Schools, with support from the Youth Sport Trust and the BUPA Foundation, recently launched a guide that aims to demystify the process of measuring wellbeing and provide some practical...
A 4-page guidance document on how teachers can utilise critical literacy. What does it mean to interpret a text critically? It means being a discerning reader who does the following: questions...
A 4-page guidance document on how teachers can utilise critical literacy.
What does it mean to interpret a text critically? It means being a discerning reader who does the following: questions...
The reality of true wellbeing is that it's different for all of us, says Vicki Manning...
Tales of the great outdoors and all it has to offer can help pupils understand...
Unleash pupils’ potential through the mighty morphin' power of language and get a class full of...
From appreciating art to the joy of solving puzzles, Mike Askew explores the true purpose...