Edinburgh secondary schools see physical and verbal assaults double in four years
Physical and verbal attacks in Edinburgh secondary schools have almost doubled in four years, according to new figures.
Statistics obtained by the Scottish Conservatives through a Freedom of Information request show that there were 187 incidents of verbal and physical assault in Edinburgh high schools in 2023/24 compared to 97 in 2019/20 - an increase of 92 per cent.
A recent report by the NASUWT teachers’ union described teachers being assaulted with knives, chairs, hockey sticks, fireworks, and more. Some 80 per cent of respondents to the union survey reported being threatened with a weapon by a pupil and 90 per cent had been verbally abused.
The survey found 44 per cent of respondents had experienced physical abuse in the last 12 months. And only 12 per cent felt that appropriate action had been taken after an incident.
They reported that it was “frowned upon” to be disciplinary and that senior management assumed that behavioural issues were the fault of the teacher.
Another Conservative FoI recently revealed Edinburgh council was one of several local authorities which had received requests for self-defence training by teachers.
And Alison Murphy, Edinburgh secretary of Scotland's biggest teachers' union, the Educational Institute of Scotland told a public meeting in February that teachers were being scratched, bitten and having bones broken in attacks by pupils.
A breakdown of the statistics showed incident of physical assault in Edinburgh secondary schools increased from 73 i 2019/20 to 137 in 2023/24; physical assault with a weapon was down from 13 to six; and verbal abuse was up from 11 to 44.
In primary schools, the total figure was down from 98 to 71 between 2019/20 and 2023/24. Physical assaults fell from 60 to 44; physical assault with a weapon was down from 12 to four; and verbal abuse dropped from 26 to 23.
Lothian MSP and Tory eduction spokesman Miles Briggs said: “Due to typical complacency and pride the SNP is far too late on this issue. I have been ringing the alarm bells on violence in schools for years and only now, when teachers are leaving the profession and requesting self-defence classes, is John Swinney taking notice.
“SNP ministers should feel embarrassed and ashamed that classroom violence in Edinburgh has increased by 92%. The fact that this is a nationwide problem means that the blame cannot simply be handed on to local authorities, as the SNP have tried to do so far.
“For the safety and sanity of Scotland’s teachers, and the vast majority of well-behaved pupils, this has to stop. Rather than hand-wringing and warm words, the government must propose a zero-tolerance plan to stop the abuse, intimidation and violence in schools so that teachers feel safe, valued and supported.”
Education convener Joan Griffiths said: “We have a zero-tolerance approach to abuse against teachers and support staff working in our schools, and any reports of these incidences are taken extremely seriously.
“We offer training to teachers and support staff where required, to ensure that they are equipped to deal with any instances of pupil violence in an appropriate wa
“In addition to supporting staff when this does occur, we have extensive programmes to promote positive behaviour and to manage behaviours of concern in school, so we can try and reduce the number of incidents. Our focus is on getting it right for Edinburgh’s children and staff.”