'I've been hit, spat on and bitten by pupils'
BBC"I've been hit, kicked, spat on and bitten," said head teacher Christopher Tribble of his experiences working in education over two decades.
The president of the Devon branch of the National Association of Head Teachers said violence in schools had increased since the pandemic and he called for more spending in early years education to tackle root causes.
Another teacher said she had seen "a big change in levels of respect for school staff".
Data from the Health and Safety Executive suggested reported "acts of violence" by pupils against school and college employees in the south-west of England had more than doubled in the past decade.
According to the figures 521 staff in the South West reported injuries from pupils in the past decade - including broken bones, cuts, bites and bruises.
The number of incidents rose from 32 in 2015-16 to 79 in 2024-25, it said.
In Devon there were 25 reported injuries, six in Cornwall, nine in Somerset and nine in Dorset, according to the Heath and Safety Executive data.
Pupil violence rising
Tribble, who is also head teacher at Honiton Primary in Devon, said he had seen several staff members who have had hospital treatment over his 20-year career due to pupil violence.
He said he had seen staff experience bone breakages, facial injuries, cuts, grazes and bites.
"These are becoming more apparent and more regular across schools," he said.
Early in his own career he said a young person smeared his face with bodily fluid.
"That was very hard to take, and obviously not very pleasant at the time," he said.
Sarah Nicholas, deputy head teacher of Honiton Primary, said: "It's not uncommon to have a boot in the shin, to have a shove or a push, a hit, a bite.
"I've been teaching for 31 years, so I've seen quite a big change in levels of respect for school staff."
She said she had heard from colleagues in secondary and other primary schools who have experienced children launching chairs or using scissors.
"When children are launching chairs, and you've got a class full of children, that's a huge thing to have to manage, and I think that is quite stressful for a teacher," she said.
"You're in front of that class, you've got to keep your 30 children safe.
"You have to love this job, and this job is losing people, because it's not a job that you can love easily at times."
'Raise them well'
The union representative said one answer could be providing more funding to early years education to ingrain respect.
Tribble said: "If I had a magic wand and I was given an infinite budget, I would spend it in the early years.
"I would spend it in the zero to five or zero to six years realm, and really embed all those basic skills of communication, turn-taking and selflessness.
"If we catch it at the very root and bring them up and raise them well, we wouldn't have so many of the social problems that we do later on."
The BBC contacted the Department for Education for comment but it did not provide a response.
It has said previously: "Violence affecting teachers is completely unacceptable and schools should never be left to deal with it alone.
"That's why we are taking action through 93 Attendance and Behaviour Hubs to share their expertise and tackle the root causes before problems escalate."
