Willie Rennie says image of schoolgirl kicking another in face will stay with him forever

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The image of one young girl kicking another in her face will stay with me, probably forever. That it happened in what most may think of as a sleepy corner of Fife, nestled by the beautiful beaches of the East Neuk, may surprise some but for teachers and staff across Scotland, it was no surprise.

The level of violence in schools has always been higher than acceptable but it has been so much worse since the pandemic. Almost universally, staff report an increase in distressed behaviour since children have returned from months of lockdown.I am a liberal and I believe in tackling the root causes of behaviour rather than simply punishing the symptoms, so I support inclusion and the restorative approach adopted in Scottish education.But that does not mean I will ever deny the problems exist.There does appear to be a conspiracy of silence and of under-reporting among the Scottish political and education leadership who cannot admit the severity of the problems or that the current approach is just not working.

It is important that they admit the problem because teachers and staff will just not believe the leaderships are listening to their cries and pleas unless they do.Yet it is not only staff and teachers who feel the consequences of a failed approach in cuts and bruises, but also young people too.

One parent told me the GIRFEC policy (Getting It Right for Every Child) had too often become getting it right for one child while the rest of the class must endure the disruption – and sometimes physical attacks.