'Teachers should be warned over pupils' record of violence'

Published on Sunday 17 May 2009 22:00

VIOLENT children should be risk-assessed before being allowed back into any classroom, teachers have insisted.

At the annual conference of the Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association (SSTA), delegates heard a new pupil can enrol in a school without teachers being told the child had a history of violence.

Delegates in Peebles were warned that without action being taken to ensure children would not lash out again, staff and other pupils could be hurt.

Just two weeks ago, the Scottish Parliament was told teachers were "in despair" over the rising tide of classroom violence.

Ann Ballinger, general secretary-elect of the union, said the demand had come about after one pupil was excluded from school for violence only to be returned the same day.

"The message that sent out to pupils and teachers was that you are not safe," she said. "This is not about punishment, this is about managing the situation appropriately."

Ms Ballinger said this was not about "somebody pushing somebody else in the corridor", but serious violence.

Graham Robertson, from the SSTA's East Dunbartonshire branch, told the conference that attacks by pupils were the biggest risk teachers faced.

He said: "The main risk to us, as teachers today, is from pupils, not all, but a very specific group. We risk assess so much now, then why is our biggest risk also not being properly assessed?"

He added: "Permanent exclusions are very rare and have even been overturned by the local authority. It's not good enough."

Delegates overwhelmingly voted for the motion which called for pupils excluded for physically aggressive behaviour, to be assessed by an educational psychologist before returning to school.

A limited number of educational psychologists means the move might see children prevented from attending school while awaiting assessment – but delegates ruled that was a matter for employers.

The number of attacks on teachers and pupils in schools is rising, according to statistics out last October. Total recorded incidents, including verbal abuse, rose by 4.3 per cent in 2007, figures obtained from councils using the Freedom of Information Act revealed. Physical attacks on teachers and pupils rose by 2.2 per cent between 2005-6 and 2006-07.

When the parliament heard teachers were "in despair" over attacks, Liz Smith, the Tory education spokeswoman, said "second chance learning units" should be set up in Scotland to hold unruly youngsters until they had proved they were no longer a threat. The move was rejected at Holyrood but Ms Smith is still pushing the idea.

She said: "Pupils would return to the classroom when they no longer pose a risk. We have to put our teachers back in control."

She said the risk assessment would be done at the second-chance units, giving the teachers the security they wanted.

Teachers also backed a call for colleagues accused of child abuse or misconduct to be given anonymity. Robert Macmillan, from the SSTA's Fife branch said there was a presumption of innocence in law and those eventually found innocent could find their careers, and lives, ruined by the public exposure.

Delegates voted for the motion which demanded the UK parliament legislated to ensure teachers had a right to privacy when accused of such crimes.

A spokesman for the Scottish Government said ministers supported "local decision making" on exclusions and new guidelines would be issued this summer.