The extent of violence in Northern Ireland’s schools has been laid bare in a shock new survey.
Figures revealed yesterday the height of assaults and verbal abuse teachers and support staff face.
A total of 95% of support staff, including classroom assistants, have been attacked and 90% of special education teachers have been subjected to physical and verbal abuse.
And nearly half of the verbal abusers are parents and one in five face physical abuse every week, the findings show.
NIC-ICTU Education Trade Union Group are appealing for the Education Authority and Department of Education to act fast to make schools a safer place for staff.
It added that budget cuts may be to blame for the disruptive behaviour.
Chair of the Union, Denise Walker said: “Everyone expects and is entitled to go to work free from the threat of physical violence but if you work in one of Northern Ireland’s schools in a support role, you could be one of the 51% who have been subjected to a physical incident at work.
“With only 34% of victims receiving any form of support and action taken in only 22% of incidents, our support staff are feeling exposed and unsupported.
“Classroom assistants and support staff work in schools helping some of the most vulnerable pupils, yet they receive little or no support when they need it most. Over 54% of teaching staff felt supported after reporting similar incidents and while this is still too low, it demonstrates that the support structures are just not being applied adequately or equally. This is totally unacceptable.
“The Education Authority and Department of Education must act now to eradicate the threat of violence in our schools. It’s time they take responsibility and ensure they carry out the duty of care that the staff they employ deserve.”
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Vice-chair of the Union, Maxine Murphy-Higgins added: “The figures in this survey are truly shocking. Just over 55% of primary school teachers have been assaulted at work while almost 90% of special school teachers have been assaulted.
“But any discussion of violent and disruptive behaviour in schools has to be put in the context of the budget cuts that are happening in Northern Ireland.
“Schools are losing the specialist support that they did have to work with vulnerable younger people, class sizes are getting bigger and there are not enough resources being put into supporting pupils with special educational needs (SEN).
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“In many schools teachers and support staff receive little or no support when they are assaulted and in a minority of schools the first reaction of management is to blame the staff member for the assault. Attitudes like this lead to under-reporting of incidents of management and heighten the risk of more serious assaults in future.
“The Department of Education as a matter of priority must ensure that all schools are meeting their statutory obligations to maintain a safe working environment for all staff.”
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The Education Authority and Department of Education have been asked for comment.
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