Violence is a serious risk, says survey

A snapshot of life in the classroom shows teachers facing regular threats of violence from pupils.

And the level of anti-social behaviour revealed has been described as a "very worrying picture" by a teachers' union leader.

The survey from the National Association of School Masters Union of Women Teachers recorded the number of verbal and physical assaults against staff.

In two weeks, teachers in four local education authorities in the north west of England, reported almost a thousand incidents of abuse from pupils.

If these figures are typical of the country, they suggest there are more than 200,000 cases of physical abuse of teachers in a year; a truly alarming figure Damian Green, Shadow Education Secretary

The survey, taken in January, found that in 10 working days in 300 schools, teachers faced 126 physical assaults - out of a total of 964 incidents.

The verbal insults and threats included 62 sexual insults and 9 racial insults, the aggression coming predominantly from boys.

The sample of schools was spread across the full range of ages - and the verbal abuse from pupils included 22 cases in the reception and nursery classes.

Need for protection

"This extensive survey demonstrates a very worrying picture and highlights the necessity for teachers and schools to record these incidents of abuse," says the union's general secretary, Eamonn O'Kane.

"The reporting system should be as simple as possible and should, of course, be acted upon as part of a vigorous campaign to combat such abuse, including the use of temporary and permanent exclusions.

"Teachers are entitled, like any other employee, not to be abused in the course of their work. Their employers have a duty to protect them from physical and verbal assaults," he said.

If these figures were applied on a national scale, it would mean 200,000 physical assaults on teachers each year, said the Conservatives.

"These figures confirm a dark picture of the state of discipline in our schools. If these figures are typical of the country, they suggest there are more than 200,000 cases of physical abuse of teachers in a year; a truly alarming figure," said the Shadow Education Secretary, Damian Green.

"The government needs to take practical steps to uphold the authority of heads and teachers, not least by abolishing the current appeals panel system which too often allows persistently disruptive and violent children to return to the school they have been excluded from."

"These appalling instances of abuse, intimidation, sexual and racial taunts ... cannot be tolerated," said the Liberal Democrats' education spokesperson, Phil Willis.

"For too long teachers have been the whipping boys for disruptive pupils, unruly parents and intolerant government.

"The control of yobbish behaviour in the classroom must be rescued from central government interference.

"Only by giving schools the freedom to participate fully in their communities, to build up relationships and above all to give students time, can we improve this intolerable situation."