High level of attacks on Rotherham teachers revealed

An average of 529 incidents of abuse against teaching staff are reported in the borough every year — 13 for every week of the school year.

The NASUWT union said more than four-fifths of teachers did not report all incidents, with a third believing nothing would be done.

There were 504 incidents recorded in Rotherham in 2015/16, 414 in 2016/17 and 2017/18 in 669, while the latest number available for the just-finished school year was 310 across the first two terms — suggesting around 500 in total for 2018/19.

The issue was raised in Rotherham by then-UKIP group leader Cllr Allen Cowles at May’s full council meeting, where he related being told by a teacher how she had been sworn at by a pupil she attempted to discipline.

Rotherham Borough Council’s deputy leader, Cllr Gordon Watson, said “one incident is too many” but said Rotherham did not appear to be following a national upward trend of reports.

Cllr Watson, who later issued the annual figures for Rotherham, said schools were “actively encouraged” to report violence and aggressive incidents to the council’s health and safety team.

He said the key to dealing with pupils’ aggressive behaviour was “supporting their social and emotional mental health”, adding: “We are not complacent, we are monitoring it all the time.”

The NASUWT survey found nine in ten teachers had suffered physical or verbal abuse from pupils over the last 12 months and that a quarter had reported physical violence at least once a week.

Chris Keates, the union’s general secretary, said: “No teacher should ever have to go to work with the expectation of being verbally or physically abused, but it is clear from this survey that for too many teachers this is the day-to-day reality.”

The NEU teachers’ union said in a statement that abuse of teachers was a “real issue and must not be ignored”.