Teachers are being spat at and bitten by children as young as five, according to shocking claims about classroom behaviour in regions including Tayside and Fife.
The serious allegations were aired at Holyrood on Wednesday as SNP Government education secretary Jenny Gilruth announced a “summit” on safety.
MSPs lined up to demand quick results after alarm about bullying and violence affecting pupils and teachers.
Ms Gilruth, a Fife MSP, said behaviour in schools is a priority.
“No teacher or pupil should suffer verbal or physical abuse, and parents should be able to send their children to school knowing that they are safe,” she said.
“To that end, I’m looking forward to bringing together young people, parents and carers, schools, local authorities, unions, and campaigners to identify how we tackle the problem of violence and disruption in our schools.”
Teachers have ‘given up’
She confirmed the action in a debate which quickly turned into a two-hour long list of shocking claims.
Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Murdo Fraser said the scale of the problem is understated because teachers have “given up” reporting problems.
Reading a message from a primary school teacher in his region, he told parliament: “We are on a daily basis, sworn at, spat at, punched, scratched and bitten by children as young as five. We have books, chairs and tables thrown at us.”
Colleagues were sent to hospital, he claimed, and teachers go off sick for weeks.
Mr Fraser said he would not name the school.
Violence
North East Fife MSP Willie Rennie said teachers have had enough.
“It shouldn’t take a crisis for the resource to be brought in,” he said.
“For many staff, teachers and pupils, violence is a daily occurrence.”
Figures last week revealed almost 14,000 incidents of school violence had been reported in the last year in Scotland.
The Courier lifted the lid on the scale of the problem locally earlier this year.
An investigation by our social media team found at least 70 public pages on Instagram and TikTok set up for cyberbullying in Dundee, Perth, Fife and Angus.
The examples were likely to be just a fraction of the total out there.
The probe followed anger at a video of a brutal assault within a classroom at Waid Academy in Anstruther.
A schoolboy had allegedly been knocked out in a fight that same day.
Some social sites featured fights particularly in Fife and Perth, across the Courier’s circulation area.
Many more accounts for children were focused on bullying rather than violence.
EXCLUSIVE: 70 social media accounts dedicated to school violence and bullying in Tayside and Fife
In February, we revealed how one mum identifed 20 videos of pupil attacks and fights at Levenmouth Academy in Fife.
Some were said to feature her own children being attacked.
Threats were sent over Snapchat, and her daughter is “terrified” of going to school.
In March, we reported that 639 violent incidents had been reported already this year in Fife alone.
Former Harris Academy head teacher Jim Thewliss also spoke up about the role of social media.
He explained how cyberbullying over weekends hits school on Monday mornings.
Union wants results
Angela Bradley, of the EIS teachers’ union, said “tangible results” must follow.
“This summit is an important first step, with which Scotland’s teachers will be keen to engage,” she said.
“It must not be just a talking shop, set up to give the appearance of taking action.”
Conversation