A teacher with 28 years of experience, who developed PTSD after being abused by her own students and facing rape threats on a daily basis, said she has witnessed a massive rise in violent and sexual attacks in recent years, and believes Covid lockdowns are to blame.
Wendy Exton, 51, from Stoke-on-Trent, had been teaching 11 to 16-year-olds at an alternative provision school for around 10 years when she started noticing an alarming increase in school violence.
Over the next four years, she faced a tirade of mental and physical abuse from pupils who would spit on her and threaten to rape her.
Wendy was diagnosed with PTSD in September 2021 and felt she had no choice but to hand in her notice at the school, which has not been named to protect the students’ identities.
More than one in 10 teachers have been physically assaulted by a student in the last year, a survey by teachers’ union NASUWT revealed last month.
