At least three members of staff are being physically assaulted or verbally abused every day due to an “epidemic of violence” in Renfrewshire classrooms, trade unions chiefs have revealed.
Official figures show 588 sickening incidents were reported by teachers and other school workers in Renfrewshire in the 2023/24 academic year.
New statistics uncovered by the GMB trade union, which represents non-teaching school staff, lays bare the scale of what has been described as a nationwide problem.
Records reveal 1,970 incidents of youth violence, threats and verbal abuse were reported by council staff last year with 1,002 reports across all departments in East Renfrewshire Council and 968 in Renfrewshire Council.
The local authorities did not breakdown the figures but Renfrewshire Council suggests the 588 school reports could be the result of several members of staff being verbally or physically abused in one incident.
GMB Scotland, representing school support staff including pupil support assistants, janitors, admin and catering workers, obtained the data under Freedom of Information legislation and said the reported incidents confirm the scale of the crisis but remain only “the tip of the iceberg”.
Keir Greenaway, the union’s senior organiser in public services, said: “These figures are shocking but sadly no longer surprising.
“Violence against staff in our schools is clearly at crisis levels but official records are still underestimating the scale of that crisis. These reports are the tip of the iceberg.
“From what our members tell us, the incidents of violence and abuse that are not being reported, recorded or investigated could far outstrip those that are. For every one reported, another one or possibly two is not.
“That must change as a matter of urgency and staff must be given the time and encouragement to report incidents properly and should expect those incidents to be properly investigated and acted on.”
Additional figures obtained by the Paisley Daily Express show that in the 2022/23 year (the most up to date data available), 395 children were excluded from Renfrewshire schools for abusive behaviour towards staff and other pupils.
In total, 144 children were removed from the classroom for violent assault; 33 of these young people used a weapon in their attack.
But the verbal abuse of staff was by far the biggest factor in the exclusions, accounting for 227 temporary and permanent suspensions in the last school year. Continued disobedience accounted for a further 192 exclusions while general fighting accounted for 63.
The GMB Scotland survey of almost 800 school support staff across the country revealed 68 per cent of workers fear the crisis of youth violence has worsened over the last three years.
Teaching union Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), which represents the vast majority of teachers in Scotland, said it would like to see more staff employed to work with vulnerable youngsters.
A spokesperson said: “Schools must be safe places to work and to learn, and violence against any member of staff is never acceptable. Additional funding to increase the numbers of specialist staff available to support young people facing social, emotional and behavioural difficulties could help to address this issue, as would better support for teachers working with young people from a wide range of backgrounds.
“Staff should be encouraged to report all incidents of violence that occur and must receive appropriate support from their employer in all cases.”
A spokesperson for Renfrewshire Council said:“The health and wellbeing of our children, young people and staff is our highest priority and we take all incidences of violence and aggression seriously.
“Our recently updated policy ensures robust processes are in place and we provide extensive training and support to our school staff on the universal and targeted interventions available to support children and young people, how staff can support distressed and dysregulated behaviour, and how to report any incidents accurately.
“We recognise the impact these incidents can have on staff and work hard to support them following an incident taking place by tailoring our support to each individual’s needs.”
Don’t miss the latest Renfrewshire headlines – sign up to our free daily newsletter here