More than 400 cases of injuries to teaching staff at Stirling schools as safety concerns grow over classroom violence

dailyrecord.co.uk:

More than 400 injuries were reported among teaching staff due to violence in Stirling’s classrooms within just six months, new figures have revealed.Concerns have been raised about the safety of teaching staff and pupils following an increase in the number of injuries to staff members.Information given to Stirling Council’s children and young people committee has outlined the sheer scale of the issue for schools across the area, with 429 staff injuries reported between August 2023 and February 2024 – an increase of 123.Over the period, reports submitted for verbal and physical aggression incidents towards council staff totalled 676 (across early years, primary, secondary, specialist and transport) – a rise of 181 compared to the same reporting period in 2023.Almost all the incidents were said to have involved children and young people with additional support needs.Officers told the committee: “Similar to the national picture, in Stirling Council there has been an increase in the number of incidents reported by education staff, related to verbal and physical aggression towards staff.“Regular meetings with education, health and safety and trade union colleagues have taken place to review the local data and to consider ways of addressing concerns around inconsistent reporting of incidents, staff wellbeing, staff knowledge and skills.”In early years, of 54 incidents reported, 34 resulted in staff being injured.

In secondary schools, of 35 reported incidents, staff sustained injuries in five. Transport saw five incidents, with four involving injuries.However in primary schools – of 323 incidents reported – 204 resulted in staff being hurt, while in specialist settings, of 259 reports, 182 involved injuries to staff.Officers