News and eventsNearly a third of teachers face physical aggression at the hands of pupils, finds ATL survey
Friday 14 March 2008
Pupils threatening to kick or punch their teachers is a major problem, with 29% facing physical aggression in their work, according to a survey carried out by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL).
These findings come from an ATL survey on classroom behaviour which revealed nearly one in 10 teachers have suffered actual physical harm.
Significantly every single respondent said they have had to deal with a disruptive pupil, with the majority (95%) facing low level disruption (talking, not paying attention, horsing around) and 92% having pupils use their phone in class and ignoring teachers’ requests. In 98% of cases, disruption has had an impact on other pupils by interrupting lessons.
As a result of poor pupil behaviour, 34% of teachers surveyed have suffered mental health problems and stress, with 12% needing to visit a doctor and 8% taking leave from work as a consequence.
Evelyn Gothard, a secondary teacher from Hampshire, said: “The children know that our hands are tied and play up frequently. In the past two years, we have only successfully permanently excluded one pupil. It’s the good students whose education is being wrecked that I feel for.”
Jean Roberts from a primary school in London said: “Behaviour has definitely got worse as there are more cases of children in primary school suffering from mental health problems. One of the reasons why I stopped being deputy was because my energy levels could not keep up with having to physically restrain pupils as I got older. I have permanent marks where I have been kicked on my legs while doing such things.”
A teacher from Hampshire said: “I have been involved in incidents of aggressive and violent behaviour within my school. There have been times when I have had to restrain students to stop damage to other students or school property. Poor behaviour within classes is almost accepted as the norm now. Students are quite happy to know that they have rights and believe that they have far more rights than they actually have.”
The key difficulty with poor pupil behaviour has been the large amount of exclusions with 92% of teachers reporting that pupils have been excluded from their own school. However, these students seem to be rotated round local schools as 79% said they have pupils in their school that have been excluded from another one.
A higher level teaching assistant from the South East said: “I am tired, very, very tired, of the reluctance to take firm action against offending students. Schools are now too fearful of their exclusion statistics, or being made to take a disruptive pupil from another school if they do exclude permanently.”
ATL general secretary, Dr Mary Bousted, said: “No teacher should have to tolerate these unacceptable levels of poor pupil behaviour, and certainly no one should be attacked in school. Not only is poor behaviour driving teaching staff away at an alarming rate - 65% have considered leaving the profession as a consequence - it is also damaging the chances of other pupils during lessons by causing major disruptions.”
Richard Simpson from a school in Devon said: “There are times when teaching seems more like a battle of wills and the discipline issues make teaching stressful and unpleasant. When things are particularly bad, I wish that I had never started teaching.”
ENDS
For further information please contact the ATL press office on 0207 782 1589.
Note to editors:
1. 813 ATL members working as teachers in primary and secondary state schools in the UK were questioned between 8 and 18 February 2008.
Key survey results:
Do teachers believe that pupil behaviour has got better or worse over the last two years? | Better
4.1% | Worse
68% | Stayed the same 24.6% | Don’t know
3.3% |
Do schools have a clear behaviour policy? | Yes 85.5% | No 12.4% | Don’t know 2.1% |
|
If schools do have a clear behaviour policy, which of these statements is true? I am satisfied with the behaviour policy I am not satisfied with the behaviour policy Don’t know |
44.8% 51% 4.2% | |||
Has poor pupil behaviour ever made teachers consider changing professions? | Yes 64.5% | No 33.7% | Don’t know 1.8% |
|
Have any colleagues left the profession due to poor pupil behaviour? | Yes 63.8% | No 12.3% | Don’t know 23.9% |
|
Have teachers had dealings with a disruptive pupil? | Yes 100% | No - |
|
|
If teachers have dealt with a disruptive pupil, what form did it take? (ticking all that apply) Low level disruption (talking, not paying attention, horsing around) Disrespect (use of mobile phone in class, ignoring teacher's requests) Verbal (insults, threats, derogatory comments) Intimidation Physical aggression |
94.5%
92.2% 75.3% 35.3% 29.1% | |||
Dealing with a disruptive pupil has caused teachers: (ticking all that apply) Disruption of work or class Mental health problems (i.e. stress) Physical harm (bodily harm) Taking leave from work Visit to the doctor Other |
98.9% 33.7% 9.3% 7.7% 12.2% 4.7% | |||
If teachers have dealt with a violent pupil, what force did they use? (ticking as many that apply) Fists (punching) Legs (kicking) Knives (stabbing/attempting to stab) Other (please specify) |
66.9% 45.4% 3.3% 32.7%
| |||
Do teachers feel their school provides adequate support when teachers report incidences of disruptive behaviour? | Yes 42.5% | No 51.1% | Don’t know 6.4% |
|
Have any pupils in respondent’s school been excluded for poor behaviour? | Yes 92.8% | No 4.1% | Don’t know 3.2% |
|
Have any pupils in respondent’s school been excluded from another school for poor behaviour? | Yes 79.9% | No 5.5% | Don’t know 14.6% |
|
2. The 2008 ATL annual conference is taking place between 17-20 March at the Riviera International Conference Centre (RICC), Torquay.
3. The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) is an independent, registered trade union and professional association, representing approximately 160,000 teachers, headteachers, lecturers and support staff in maintained and independent nurseries, schools, sixth form, tertiary and further education colleges in the United Kingdom.
4. ATL exists to help members, as their careers develop, through first rate research, advice, information and legal advice.
5. ATL is affiliated to the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE) and Education International (EI). The union is a member of the Social Partnership – working with the UK Government, employers and other unions on education issues. ATL is not affiliated to any political party and seeks to work constructively with all the main political parties.