Teaching and classroom assistants (TAs) working in mainstream schools in the UK have described being kicked, punched and spat at by pupils in a new study that explores for the first time aggression targeted at support staff, who are predominantly female and low-paid.
They told researchers they had been hit in the face, bitten, had objects thrown at them and received death threats, with incidents reported in primary and secondary schools. Their injuries included cuts, a black eye, a dislocated thumb, a broken finger and torn ligaments, according to the University of Roehampton study.
They also described the psychological toll of the incidents, complaining of stress, anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, forcing some to take time off sick and even to retire early due to ill health.
The qualitative research, which is based on in-depth interviews with 16 teaching and classroom assistants who have experienced violence, follows a 2016 Unison survey of 14,500 support staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, which found that more than half (53%) of TAs had experienced physical violence in the previous year.
