28 March 2003
Local education authorities must act to tackle a 'very worrying' level of violence and abuse against teachers.
That was the message from Eamonn O'Kane, general secretary of the National Association of Schoolmasters/ Union of Women Teachers, after a survey of 304 schools in four northwest authorities found 964 incidents of abuse over a span of just two weeks.
These included 26 physical assaults, 62 cases of sexual insults, and nine cases of racial abuse. Even reception classes and nursery schools reported 21 incidents. A total of 705 children were involved, 165 of them girls.
O'Kane said at the survey's launch on March 25: 'This survey demonstrates a very worrying picture and highlights the necessity for teachers and schools to record these incidents.
'Teachers are entitled not to be abused in the course of their work. Their employers have a duty to protect them from physical and verbal assaults.'
On the same day, education watchdog Ofsted issued a report, Bullying: effective action in secondary schools. This found that bullying of pupils was more common than adults sometimes think, though it was impossible to say whether it was on the increase.
The report said anti-bullying work supported by short-term projects often had value, but sometimes not enough was done to sustain the impact after the projects came to an end.
Researchers visited schools in Norfolk, Coventry, Devon, West Sussex, Durham and Birmingham, and met local education officers to discuss Department for Education and Skills guidance on bullying.
Chief inspector of schools David Bell said: 'Bullying is a blight that picks off its victims at random, destroying their confidence and making their lives a misery.'
The charity Childline called for Ofsted to inspect the methods used by schools to consult children about bullying and the development of anti-bullying strategies.
It said local education authorities should facilitate sharing between schools and children's services of good practice on tackling bullying.
PFmar2003
