All schools should display posters warning pupils and parents to respect teachers, union officials have said. The ‘hospital waiting-room-style’ signs are needed as rising numbers of staff are subjected to swearing and physical attacks from pupils and their families. Research from the NASUWT union shows that the majority of teachers today are verbally abused by pupils. Union officials from NASUWT say the ‘hospital waiting-room-style’ signs are needed as rising numbers of staff are subjected to swearing and physical attacks from pupils and their families . The behaviour of some youngsters – who hurl chairs, bring fireworks to school and threaten to slit other pupils’ throats – is so horrendous that staff have refused to teach them. Some 82 per cent of 3,500 NASUWT members polled were verbally abused by pupils in the last 12 months, up from 52 per cent in the union’s survey last year. Meanwhile 38 per cent suffered similar problems with parents or carers compared with 24 per cent in 2014. Some 23 per cent had received threats of physical assault from a pupil, up ten percentage points, and 16 per cent had actually been attacked. This was a rise of seven percentage points on last year. Some 82 per cent of 3,500 NASUWT members polled were verbally abused by pupils in the last 12 months, up from 52 per cent in the union’s survey last year . NASUWT general secretary Chris Keates blamed factors including a narrow curriculum, rising class sizes and a lack of parental support for the growing tide of indiscipline. Speaking ahead of the union’s annual conference, which opened in Cardiff yesterday, she called on the government to produce poster templates for schools, using ‘strong messages’. ‘Increasingly, you go into railway stations and you see these posters which are basically saying we don’t tolerate our staff being abused,’ she said. Violent and disruptive pupils led the union to hold eight so-called refusal to teach ballots in schools last year. Here are some of the worst cases: . Birmingham . A Year One boy (age 6-7) was not excluded despite a history of physical assaults against staff and other pupils. Following notice of NASUWT action, the boy was removed from the school roll. Cardiff . A Year Ten pupil (age 14-15) verbally assaulted a woman teacher and threw a book which hit her face and drew blood. He was not expelled. Following notice of intention to ballot, the boy was assigned a learning support assistant at all times and was barred from the teacher’s lessons. Glasgow . An 11-year-old boy with a history of physical assaults, verbal abuse and threats of violence to teachers hurled chairs and other objects, but was excluded for only two days. The local authority moved him to another school after the NASUWT’s notice of intention to ballot. ‘You go into hospitals and you see similar posters, yet the government draws back from wanting to promote that kind of thing in schools.’ Miss Keates said that teachers are seen to be ‘exempt from that kind of protection and respect’. However, posters that tell ‘anyone using the premises – pupils, visitors, parents – that staff are not there to be abused’ give an ‘important message’. Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said the posters were a ‘good idea but shouldn’t be forced’ on schools. It comes after the NASUWT launched eight ‘refusal to teach’ ballots last year due to pupils being allowed back into the classroom despite their abysmal behaviour. In Gwynedd, north-west Wales, a 14-year-old girl was only temporarily suspended after threatening to slit another girl’s throat at a funfair and making a similar threat at school. She was expelled following the NASUWT’s ballot notice. Overall, 73 per cent of union members in this year’s survey believed there was a ‘widespread behaviour problem in schools’. The main causes of misbehaviour were lack of parental support (61 per cent) and pupils coming to school not ready to learn (44 per cent).
Schools should display posters warning pupils to respect teachers .
Union officials say signs are needed as increasing number of staff abused .
Around 82% of NASUWT members were verbally abused by pupils in 2014 .
A further 23% were threatened with violence and 16% were attacked .