Too many teachers are being subjected to unacceptable levels of
verbal and physical abuse in the classroom and threats and taunts
on social media from pupils, with schools failing to support
teachers or take action where teachers report incidents, the
Annual Conference of the NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union has heard
today.
6% of teachers surveyed by the NASUWT say they have been
subjected to physical violence by pupils in the last year. One in
ten say they have received threats of physical violence by
pupils. Nearly four in ten (38%) have been subjected to verbal
abuse from those they teach.
Only around four in ten (42%) of those teachers who said they had
faced any kind of abuse by a pupil said their school dealt with
it in a satisfactory manner.
A lack of training for school and college leaders in dealing with
poor pupil behaviour is leading to a failure in many schools and
colleges to take action to protect teachers and other staff from
violent behaviour, verbal abuse and online threats.
Three-quarters of teachers said they had not been given any
training by their school on managing pupil behaviour during
remote lessons.
The Conference has called for improved training and guidance for
school and college leaders on managing pupil behaviour and on
their responsibilities to protect staff from abuse and attacks.
Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary of the NASUWT, said:
“The NASUWT is unequivocal that no teacher should be expected to
put up with any form of verbal or physical abuse, whether in the
classroom or online.
“The Union is continuing to take steps, up to and including
industrial action and refusal to teach ballots, where members
report to us that serious pupil indiscipline or abuse is going
unchallenged by their school.
“Our action is securing successes, but members should not be
forced to seek our protection in order to be able to go to work
in safety.
“Improved training for school leaders and a whole school approach
to promoting positive behaviour, coupled with a consistent and
robust approach to dealing with incidents of verbal and physical
abuse against staff should be embedded in every school.
“Schools have a duty of care to their staff and it is about time
that all schools took that responsibility seriously.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
The NASUWT’s Annual Conference is being held virtually between
2-5 April.
The statistics are taken from an initial cut of the NASUWT’s Big
Question Survey of members across the UK which has received 4,739
responses between 21 February and 29 March.
The full text of the motion is below:
CHALLENGING PUPIL AND STUDENT BEHAVIOUR
Wendy Exton to move,
Rosemary Carabine to second:
Conference asserts that every teacher has the right to work free
from the threat of violence, threats and aggression by pupils or
students.
Conference condemns those school and college employers that fail
to take seriously the problem of unacceptable pupil or student
behaviour and who claim that such behaviour is part of the job.
Conference is concerned that many school and college leaders do
not receive adequate training in how to deal with challenging
pupil or student behaviour, leaving teachers with no access to
appropriate support.
Conference applauds those members who have successfully balloted
to take industrial action to refuse to teach violent pupils or
students.
Conference calls upon the National Executive to:
(i) publish further guidance for teachers and school and college
leaders on unacceptable behaviours, including legal entitlements
and remedies;
(ii) lobby employers, governments and administrations to ensure
that teachers and school and college leaders receive appropriate
training on behaviour management issues and
(iii) continue to support members, using all appropriate means,
where they face unacceptable pupil or student behaviour.
(Executive)
