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According to Scotland’s largest teaching union, violence against educators in Aberdeen’s schools remains a prevalent and damaging problem. The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) reported that over 25% of its members in the city had experienced physical assaults during the past year. Furthermore, more than a third of these teachers witness violent episodes on a daily basis.
One secondary school teacher, who spoke anonymously to BBC Scotland News, described facing racial abuse from pupils “every other day,” alongside physical attacks. She revealed feeling fearful about returning to work after enduring continual abuse. The teacher admitted, “Sometimes I have to ignore it, because how many times am I going to report racial abuse?” Despite trying to focus on the majority of her well-behaved students, the harassment affected her mental well-being outside the classroom. Currently on sick leave, she expressed struggling with the cumulative impact and concern over the lack of effective action: “Having to go through that abuse and then come back the next day and people feeling that it’s ok… just get on with your work. Because nothing is being done.”
Another educator from a primary school shared harrowing experiences of being bitten, kicked, punched, and spat at during lessons. She recounted moments when no assistance came despite her attempts to call for help. “Some schools have phone, radios – some you just open the door and shout out into the corridor and nobody comes,” she said, emphasizing the frightening nature of these incidents, especially when responsible for a full class amid aggressive behavior. Her efforts to contact multiple members of staff were met with silence: “I remember trying four different ways to get help. Four different members of staff that I knew should be available. But nobody came and nobody answered.”
Responding to the issue, Aberdeen City Council introduced an action plan in March 2024 aiming to reduce classroom violence. Ron Constable, the EIS branch secretary, acknowledged that violent behavior remained a daily challenge for teachers, with reports of being pushed, slapped, punched, and having objects thrown at them. Although the number of reported incidents has slightly decreased, Constable suggested that this might reflect teachers’ increased use of avoidance strategies rather than a true decline in violence. Aberdeen City Council’s education and children’s services convener, Martin Greig, recognized the ongoing problems with aggressive and disruptive conduct. He stated that while mechanisms to handle such incidents were improving and reporting procedures considered robust, “We can’t be complacent.” Greig underscored the need to keep enhancing current systems so that “teachers need to have confidence that we have their back.” An official spokesperson added that the council welcomed the EIS survey and acknowledged the positive impacts of collaborative efforts over the past two years, with plans to engage unions to determine further responses to the findings
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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