Call for urgent action as hundreds of school staff are assaulted every day

More than 200 school staff are being physically assaulted or verbally abused every day, according to official figures.

Scotland’s councils have revealed 44,600 incidents of violence and abuse were reported by staff last year.

The overwhelming majority took place in schools with an average of 210 incidents being reported every day of the school year.

Analysis suggests most reported incidents involve violence not threats or verbal abuse with women workers most often victims.

GMB Scotland, representing school support staff including pupil support assistants, janitors, admin and catering workers, said the reported incidents expose a national crisis but remain only “the tip of the iceberg.”

Louise Gilmour, GMB Scotland secretary, said: “These figures are shocking but sadly no longer surprising.

“The official records reveal a national emergency but are still underestimating the scale of the crisis.

“These reports are the tip of the iceberg and our members tell us the number of incidents that are not reported, recorded or investigated far outstrip those that are.  

“That must change as a matter of urgency and staff must be given the time and encouragement to report incidents before proper investigation and action.”

The 2023 figures from 31 of Scotland’s 32 councils were obtained by GMB Scotland under freedom of information legislation and revealed school staff enduring relentless violence and abuse.

Most of the city councils recorded the highest number of incidents in 2023 with 3802 reports in Edinburgh schools and 4662 in Glasgow schools.

However, smaller and more rural local authorities also recorded thousands of incidents of staff being attacked or threatened with 1682 reports in Angus; 2148 in Moray schools; and more than 3000 incidents recorded by Ayrshire’s three councils.

A survey of GMB members in Scots schools revealed two thirds of incidents are never recorded while three out of four victims, often classroom assistants supporting children with special needs, said they receive no feedback if they do make a report.

The union is now piloting a poster campaign to bolster reporting systems.

Posters will be put up in schools in five council areas, including a QR code to allow members to quickly and easily detail incidents to the union immediately.

The union will use the reports to help ensure the council has an accurate understanding of the scale of the crisis. If effective, the posters will be rolled out in other council areas.

Gilmour said: “Staff are too often expected to carry on working after an incident of physical or verbal abuse and told to report it when they have spare time, which is never.

“Details will be lost and many staff members, who may have been shaken but unhurt, see little point in spending time on a report to be filed and forgotten.

 “No worker should go to their work in fear and feel relief if they arrive home unhurt.

“No one should be asked to go to their work to be punched, kicked, bit, spat on, and expecting to suffer verbal or physical abuse.

“Our members do not feel the authorities are tackling or even recognising the violence in schools but are instead glossing over it and allowing it to become normalised.”

The GMB Scotland survey of almost 800 school support staff, across janitorial, catering, admin cleaning, and classrooms, revealed 68% of workers fear the crisis has worsened over the last three years.

Almost half, 47%, of the support staff taking part do not believe local authorities take the issue of violence against workers seriously while 63% have had no training in de-escalating potentially violent situations.

A series of summits on school violence called by the Scottish Government last year were criticised for understating the scale of the crisis and failing to decide on decisive action.

Education secretary Jenny Gilruth admitted the system of monitoring and recording violent incidents in schools must be improved.