Time to bring back common sense to the classroom

Pupils and teachers must feel safe at school, says Miles Briggs

In particular, the extent to which discipline in many Scottish schools has significantly declined and we have witnessed a worrying increase in cases of violence against pupils and teachers.

I recently met teachers in Edinburgh at an event organised by the Edinburgh branch of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) to hear first-hand about the pressures that teachers are facing in their classrooms today. What I heard shocked me. To hear of the levels of abuse and violence against teachers and pupils alike was harrowing, and completely unacceptable. Many teachers are missing work through stress-induced sick leave and trips to hospitals and A&E following violent attacks.

Pupils who have been on the receiving end of violence are struggling with a variety of mental health problems and are missing school as a result. It isn’t just in the Capital that we are seeing this. Last year, the EIS produced a report revealing that one in three teachers in Aberdeen had been attacked in school. These are shocking figures that show just how far the situation has been allowed to deteriorate.

According to Scottish Government figures, the number of police-reported instances of pupils possessing “an offensive weapon” or “article with a blade or point” has increased in the three years since the pandemic. There has also been an increase in the usage of both types of weapons over the same period. It is little wonder that an education system that has been run into the ground by the SNP should spiral out of control in this manner.

The nationalists have completely let down pupils, parents and teachers. For too long, teachers have not been empowered to take action against pupils responsible for violent and abusive behaviour. As a result, for many pupils, school is no longer a safe place for them to learn. It is no longer a safe space for hardworking teachers to work.

The Scottish Conservatives have led the debate on school discipline. In March last year, we secured a debate on ending violence in schools. And while important work has been done following that debate, it is important to stress that it isn’t having the required impact and more needs to be done.

It is essential that ministers get a grip on what has become a crisis so that pupils and teachers can feel safe at school. This includes a zero-tolerance approach to pupils carrying weapons, as well as focusing on education programmes that reduce the enormous waiting times for child and adolescent mental-health referrals.

For far too long, the SNP government has ignored the concerns of teaching unions, councils, parents and pupils who have warned of a culture of violence in schools across the country. It is time to bring back common sense to the classroom and deliver the safe learning environments we all want to see restored.

On a lighter note, I would like to finish by congratulating the two new councillors elected following the by-election in Colinton/Fairmilehead ward last week. Both Neil Cuthbert of the Scottish Conservatives and Conor Savage of Scottish Labour will join local serving councillor Jason Rust in working for local residents on the council and I wish them well.

Miles Briggs is a Conservative Lothian MSP