Teachers should not have to tolerate violence

More than a third (38%) of Welsh teachers surveyed by NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union have been physically assaulted by a pupil in the last year. Recent figures released by 19 of the 22 Local Authorities showed that just under 5000 teachers had been assaulted by learners in the last 5 years.

Assaults are being treated as a normal part of the job in too many schools, representatives at the NASUWT Cymru Annual Conference will hear this weekend.

The NASUWT’s Big Question Survey also showed that teachers have been subjected to: verbal abuse (94%) pushing/shoving (42%); being verbally threatened (49%); being hit or punched (12%) and being kicked (9%)  by pupils during the last year.

Many employers are failing to protect teachers from aggressive pupils by carrying out inadequate risk assessments or not completing them at all. Assaults also go un reported.