Physical and verbal attacks on Ayrshire school staff are 'just the tip of the iceberg' says union

Get the latest Daily Record breaking news on WhatsApp

Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info

Join us on WhatsApp

More than 16 workers are being physically or verbally assaulted every day in Ayrshire schools according to figures revealed by the GMB Union.

And the vast majority of those who have reported incidents have been women.

There were 3,195 incidents of violence, threats and verbal abuse reported by school staff last year across North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire and East Ayrshire Councils.

GMB Scotland say the statistics, obtained under freedom of information, suggest an average of 16.8 incidents being reported by support staff and teachers every day of the 190-day school year.

Despite the high level of incidents, the GMB says that it is just ‘the tip of the iceberg’.

Howard Wilkin, the union’s organiser in all three Ayrshire councils, said: “These figures are shocking but sadly no longer surprising.

“Violence against staff in our schools is clearly at crisis levels but official records are still underestimating the scale of that crisis.

“These reports are the tip of the iceberg. From what our members tell us, the incidents of violence and abuse that are not being reported, recorded or investigated could far outstrip those that are.

“For every one reported, another one or possibly two is not.

“That must change as a matter of urgency and staff must be given the time and encouragement to report incidents properly and should expect those incidents to be properly investigated and acted on.”

North Ayrshire Council said there had been 1,434 reports of violence, threats or verbal abuse against staff in 2023, including 1,207 in schools.

East Ayrshire Council revealed 1,524 reports from all staff, with 1,233 in schools. It said analysis suggests the vast majority of victims were women (1337) and there were 909 physical assaults compared to 615 verbal threats.

In South Ayrshire, the 755 reports of violence and abuse against school staff included 448 from primary schools. Staff in other departments reported another 106 incidents.

A survey of GMB members has revealed two thirds of incidents are never recorded while three out of four victims said they receive no feedback if they do report an incident.

The union is piloting a poster campaign to bolster the council’s reporting systems.

Posters will be put up in schools in five council areas, including a QR code to allow members to quickly and easily detail incidents to the union immediately.

The union will use the reports to help ensure the council has an accurate understanding of the scale of the crisis. If effective, the posters will be rolled out in other council areas.

Wilkin said: “Staff are too often expected to carry on working after an incident of physical or verbal abuse and told to report it when they have spare time, which is never.

“Details will be lost and many staff members, who may have been shaken but unhurt, see little point in spending time on a report that, they suspect, will end up filed and forgotten.

“The posters will give staff the opportunity to easily and quickly to tell us what is happening to detail the scale of the violence and abuse being endured by school staff.

“No worker should go to their work in fear and feel relief if they arrive home unhurt.

“No one should be asked to go to their work to be punched, kicked, bit, spat on, and expecting to suffer verbal or physical abuse.

“Our members do not feel the authorities are tackling or even recognising the violence in schools but are instead glossing over it and allowing it become normalised.”

The GMB Scotland survey of almost 800 school support staff, across janitorial, catering, administration, cleaning, and classrooms, revealed 68 per cent of workers fear the crisis has worsened over the last three years.

A South Ayrshire Council spokesperson said: “Our priority is to always provide a safe, secure and positive learning and teaching environment for all, and we have clear procedures in place to support children and staff.”

A spokesperson for East Ayrshire Council said: “East Ayrshire Council is very conscious of the challenges that our employees face and have a number of measures in place, including crisis intervention training and dedicated support from Educational Psychologists and CAMHS.

“A sub-group of the Chief Executive’s Health & Safety Strategy Group was established involving colleagues from Education, Health & Safety and Trade Unions, with the aim of regularly monitoring and reviewing incidents of violence and aggression and making further recommendations as appropriate.

“The Council has also very recently launched a new reporting system – Support and Report – for all employees. The Support and Report Hub provides a home for sources of internal and external support available to employees who are experiencing, have experienced or have witnessed inappropriate behaviour such as gender-based violence, bullying and harassment, discrimination, hate crime, racism, homophobia or disability discrimination in the workplace.

“The Employee Support and Report Hub also provides employees with an option to report such incidents/behaviour, and to tell us what happened in a straightforward way, either anonymously or specifically, using an online form.”

Story SavedYou can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.