NASUWT Scotland has long been calling on the Scottish Government to tackle the rising issue of violent and abusive pupil behaviour. Research conducted with members of NASUWT demonstrates a worrying growth in the levels of violence and disruption by pupils.

Current developments

The Scottish Government has responded to this pressure from NASUWT and introduced a National Action Plan on Relationships and Behaviour that is jointly owned with COSLA. However, in our research activities with members, a staggering 62% of respondents were not aware of the National Action Plan on Relationships and Behaviour.

Of those who had heard about it, 24% had found out about it from NASUWT, 7% found out about it themselves, 2% said their school or employer had shared it with members of staff and only 1% of respondents said their school or employer had promoted it amongst staff.

While the Union has worked and will continue to work with all national partners as part of the Scottish Advisory Group on Relationships and Behaviour in Schools (SAGRABIS) to further develop and exemplify the national action plan on relationships and behaviour, it is clear that Scottish Government and other national bodies need to do more to support and embed the plan in Scotland’s schools.

This urgently needs addressing and we now want to see the recommendations from this embedded across the education system. Our own tailored advice on the Action Plan can be found on the right/below.

We also want to see the recommendations from the recently concluded subgroups on consequences and risk assessments having a positive impact for our members. You can read our advice on these two pieces of key guidance on the right/below.

Our evidence base - Behaviour in Schools Report

The NASUWT Behaviour in Schools Report is an in-depth study of more than 5,800 teachers and leaders, with 476 contributions from teachers and leaders in Scotland.

The report explores:

  • the evidence gathered through our research;

  • the voices of teachers and their lived experiences; and

  • a set of recommendations across the education system, including actions for us as a union and the expectations we will place on schools, local authorities and governments.

Key findings

In the last 12 months, 44% of respondents disclosed that they had experienced physical abuse or violence from pupils, with 90% having experienced verbal abuse from pupils.

Specific behaviours include:

  • 95% had experienced backchat/rudeness;

  • 80% had been sworn at;

  • 40% had been verbally threatened;

  • 36% had been shoved/barged;

  • 23% had been hit or punched;

  • 17% had been kicked;

  • 10% had been spat at; and

  • 3% had been headbutted.

Specific experiences include a teacher who had a firework thrown in their direction and another who told us they had been subject to targeted and sustained personal verbal abuse, had been threatened and their car vandalised.

There was also clear evidence that women teachers suffered more frequent violence and abuse than their male colleagues, with nearly half (49%) of female teachers in Scotland saying they had experienced physical abuse or violence from pupils in the previous 12 months, compared to 36% of male respondents. This is why, having worked with the Scottish Government on the production of its Gender-based Violence Framework, we are keen for this to be embedded in the day-to-day work of schools.

Eighty-two per cent of the teachers surveyed said that the number of pupils they feel they do not receive adequate support to teach because of their behavioural needs has increased in the last year.

For those who felt pupil behaviour has deteriorated in their school, we asked what they believed are the driving factors and 69% cited the use of restorative behaviour programmes that are ineffective, while 63% believe the use of social media has had a negative impact on behaviour.

The Scottish Government has published national advice on mobile phones in schools and our tailored advice on developing a mobile phones in schools policy can be found on the right/below.

The safety and security of teachers and pupils should not be left to chance, yet it is clear from the survey findings that teachers are being left without the backup and effective deterrents needed to address poor pupil behaviour and to stop low-level disruption spiralling into more serious incidents of abuse. In many instances, members report that they are themselves blamed for the poor behaviour of their pupils.

Supporting members to tackle pupil indiscipline

We will represent the interests of teachers and school leaders robustly where school practices fall short of the standards of behaviour that teachers can reasonably expect.

NASUWT will not hesitate to take action in schools where members report that poor behaviour is not being addressed effectively. We should not have to resort to union action in order to get schools and employers to take violence and abuse seriously.

If you have a concern about the way in which behaviour is being managed in your school, you should seek advice and support from NASUWT immediately.

We also have a full range of online resources to support our members: