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Behaviour: No teacher should have to face abuse from pupils

Behaviour
With 90% of teachers reporting verbal abuse or violence from pupils, Dr Patrick Roach calls on ministers to act to address the real issues affecting children's health and wellbeing
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If it is said that the wheels are coming off in government, it must also be said that it is teachers who are bearing the brunt of 13 years of government neglect as a result of a careening behaviour crisis threatening to engulf our schools.

Thousands of NASUWT members responded to our recent Behaviour in Schools survey (NASUWT, 2023a). A staggering 90% had experienced verbal abuse or violence from pupils, including being sworn at, kicked, shoved, or headbutted.

One in 10 of these respondents described receiving physical or verbal abuse on a weekly basis. The problem – according to the teachers – has got worse, damaging the health and wellbeing of dedicated professionals. It goes without saying that this situation cannot be allowed to continue.

A safe, healthy workplace is a human right and one of the most basic things teachers should be able to expect from their employers. Yet at any given time, NASUWT has active disputes in schools where we need to take action to protect our members from behaviour assaults and the failure of schools to provide a safe working environment for staff.

With more than 90% of teachers reporting to us that problems with pupil behaviour are increasing, is it any wonder that last year, record numbers of teachers left the profession prematurely?

Despite throwaway remarks from an increasingly out of touch education secretary, the teachers we work with are passionate, dedicated, and proud to be teachers.

So when 4 in 5 tell us that behaviour issues have affected their morale, and more than 3 in 5 say that challenges with pupil behaviour have caused them to suffer from anxiety or depression, we listen. We call on ministers to do the same and take action as a matter of urgency.

We want every pupil to be able to receive the support they need and for government to pay attention to the real issues affecting children’s health and wellbeing.

In our Vaping in Schools research (NASUWT 2023b), 85% of teachers told us that vaping is a problem that is affecting children’s health and education.

More than half of teachers surveyed have issues with students repeatedly leaving lessons to vape and many observe that students who vape are experiencing health problems such as coughs, or concentration problems due to nicotine addiction. Bullying and abusive behaviour are also associated with the vaping epidemic.

The Department for Health and Social Care recently announced a consultation on restricting “child-friendly” vape flavours and packaging (DHSC, 2023). But we are calling on them to act now to protect pupils from the risks caused by vaping.

Restricting access to cheap disposable vapes and limiting flavours designed to appeal to young people would certainly be helpful – but more immediate guidance must be issued in order to support schools in this fight.

The education secretary recently announced at the Conservative Party’s annual conference that the DfE would be issuing non-statutory guidance on the use of mobile phones in schools. Have we been asleep? Schools have already been addressing these issues, not waiting for government to catch-up.

And will non-statutory guidance really help? If the government is really serious, then why be so ambivalent – why not make clear whether carrying these devices is acceptable or not?

We could be forgiven for thinking that this was an announcement intended to distract from the government’s myriad failures – including funding miscalculations, RAAC, and an escalating behaviour crisis that is forcing teachers out of the job.

Nearly half of the teachers we surveyed feel they are being blamed for poor pupil behaviour in their classes and are being told that dealing with abuse and violence from pupils is “part of the job”.

Well, it is not!

To build a world class education system that provides the very best for every pupil requires making sure that teachers are valued and supported.

That is why we are unapologetic about demanding a government that will put teachers first.

Dr Patrick Roach is general secretary of the NASUWT. Find his previous articles for SecEd via www.sec-ed.co.uk/authors/dr-patrick-roach

 

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