Four in 10 teachers have faced verbal or physical aggression from a pupil’s parent or guardian, according to the Association of Teachers and Lecturers. And of the 1,000 teachers surveyed, a quarter said a pupil had attacked them. Over a third of teachers in primary schools said they had experienced physical aggression, compared with 20% in secondary schools.

The government says teachers have sufficient means at their disposal to punish disruptive pupils. Almost 60% of those questioned for the Association of Teachers and Lecturers’ survey thought pupil behaviour had worsened during the past five years.

The survey questioned over 1,000 teachers from primary and secondary schools. The responses appear to suggest that bad behaviour is not the preserve of secondary schools.

One teacher at a primary school in England said: “A six-year-old completely trashed the staff room, put a knife through a computer screen, attacked staff and we had to call the police.” Another six-year-old attacked staff and pupils with the teacher’s scissors.”

Another teacher said: “I and other members of staff were physically assaulted daily by a five-year-old (including head-butting, punching). “He was taken to the head to ‘calm down’, then brought back to apologise. It became a vicious circle. I was off sick as a result.”

The above is a summary of a news item in the British press in April 2009. Have you or colleagues ever suffered from parental or student verbal or physical aggression? How did you deal with it? What can be done to prevent it?

I would suggest that parents should not be allowed into classrooms without the agreement of the director and teachers. Any aggressive behaviour should be reported and any teacher feeling threatened must receive immediate support. What systems and procedures are in place in your school?


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