Responding to recent media reports highlighting the number of teachers hospitalised as a result of pupil violence, the President of the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA) has reiterated the union’s long-standing concerns about safety in Scotland’s classrooms.
Monique Dreon-Goold, SSTA President, said:
“These deeply concerning reports reflect what teachers across Scotland have been telling us for years — violence and serious disruption in our schools is a growing problem, and meaningful progress in addressing it has simply not materialised.
Our members are experiencing unacceptable levels of verbal abuse, physical aggression and intimidation, with hundreds of teachers requiring hospital treatment. No teacher should face violence simply for doing their job.
The SSTA has repeatedly raised these concerns with government and local authorities, calling for stronger support systems, clear and consistently applied consequences for violent behaviour, and sustained investment in the resources schools urgently need. Despite these warnings, the situation has not improved.
Urgent action is now required to protect teachers, support pupils, and restore safe, respectful learning environments in Scotland’s schools.”
The SSTA is calling for immediate and coordinated action from national and local government to ensure consistent behaviour policies, adequate staffing levels, and effective support for schools dealing with serious incidents.
Stuart Hunter, Immediate Past President of the SSTA, added:
“At the first behaviour summit organised by Jenny Gilruth, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, a clear warning was given that there was significant under-reporting of violent incidents. This under-reporting was attributed to the active discouragement of reporting by some local authority employers and a significant number of senior school leaders.
Only accurate and transparent reporting can provide a true picture of the scale of the challenges school staff face on a daily basis.
The recent reports demonstrate the seriousness of the issue and raise serious questions about accountability. Employers have a clear responsibility to safeguard the health, safety and wellbeing of staff. That responsibility must not be compromised in order to avoid reputational damage.”