Bad behaviour has soared in schools with headteachers warning lockdowns and isolation have left many young people unable to cope.
In response some are bringing knives and drugs into school “to show off and make friends” while growing numbers are resorting to verbal aggression and fights.
If bad behaviour was a problem before Covid it is now a major pressure caused by wider social problems, heads warned. As well as the more extreme end they described escalating problems including:
- Fights between pupils
- Verbal aggression towards staff
- Rows outside school spilling into the classroom
- Confrontation from pupils and parents
- Children not knowing how to work with others, share and co-operate
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“There will be very few schools in Wales now who don’t have some involvement with the police. It is tiny a minority of children but it has risen in the pandemic,” Jane Harries, headteacher of Haverfordwest High warned, describing the extreme end of behaviour.
Matthew Salmon, deputy head of Olchfa High in Swansea said high achieving schools were not immune.
“Behaviour has deteriorated. It would be a mistake to think this isn’t happening in high performing schools. I have spoken to colleagues in faith schools and community schools. It is happening everywhere, the cities and rural areas. We are really under pressure. This will take years to address.”
Rows and anti-social behaviour outside school are spilling into classrooms and vulnerable pupils are at risk from criminals and County Lines drug dealers, heads warned.
While this is the extreme end of the problem many more children are struggling to engage and co-operate in school after two years of curbs on their social lives and so much time out of the classroom. Younger pupils coming up to secondary school are finding it particularly hard to adjust, socialise and know what is expected behaviour, they said.
"Children have had a very rough time"
Mrs Harries said children have had a “very rough time” and must not be blamed. She said they needed support but the problem must be recognised and addressed.
“You find children who are a bit anxious and not fitting back in will do things they would not have done before to gain a friend.
“Across Wales people are bringing in knives and drugs because they want to belong. Certainly use of drugs (among pupils across Wales) has increased.
“Heads have spoken of aggressive showing off and use of items, such as knives or drugs, to belong. It is sad this is the only way they can think of to make friends.
“It is older pupils being more drawn into this and vulnerable children are being targeted by clever people (outside school) with knives and drugs. County Lines are definitely on the increase.
“From my school perspective we are fortunate we have not had knife crime problem, but I am aware of schools that do.
“Police tell us drugs and knife crime and anti social behaviour outside school is increasing (among young people) because they seem to have forgotten social and moral parameters.
“It is a Wales-wide issue. I am on a number of forums with headteachers with heads saying behaviour has deteriorated and that is detracting from learning.
“Schools are trying to education as to what is acceptable behaviour. I am not blaming anyone. It is a combination of circumstances in the pandemic. It’s been awful for children.”
Matthew Salmon, who is also President of the Association of School and College Leaders Cymru, said the isolation and stress of the pandemic has caused a pattern of “entrenched anti social behaviour”. Confrontational behaviour from pupils and parents has spiked.
“Our members are saying the same thing across Wales - they are seeing behaviour deteriorate and very significant challenges.
“It’s the consistency and level of challenge pupils are now prepared to mount. I suspect you would find this regardless of who you spoke to in all 22 local education authorities. This is happening in cities and the countryside.
I don’t think you can under estimate the impact of the last two years on young people and we don’t really know the extend yet. We are also experiencing increasing challenges from parents.
“Last term Swansea struggled to cope with permanent exclusions. Exclusions have risen dramatically. Behaviour ranges from verbal abuse to physical assault. In my school we have seen a rise in confrontational behaviour and an increase in fights or physical interactions, particularly among young year seven pupils.”
He said he had no evidence of drugs or knives in his school but was aware there is a drug problem in Swansea which is unlikely to have got better during the pandemic.
“We had identified that there are some issues with causal drug use in terms of the school community and that’s linked to the problems in the city of Swansea. Before the pandemic we started multi agency work with County Lines teams.”
Jackie Parker, headteacher of Crickhowell High in Powys said school was “a magic cocktail that allows students to develop” emotionally and academically. The pandemic had stalled that. She said extra funding would be needed for years to support children to emerge from the effects of the pandemic across Wales.
“Students have done incredibly well but we are now in a situation where we need to do serious work around behaviour.
“It brings to the fore that schools are more than academic institutions. School is about emotional intelligence, empathy and friendships as well as academic performance. There will be no quick fix.”
In Cardiff Martin Hulland at Cardiff West High School said social media rows have increased and found their way into schools. Some younger children who had not had the usual transition to high school were finding it harder to understand how to behave.
Neil Butler, Wales officer for the Nasuwt teaching union, said his members have reported higher levels of verbal abuse from children.
“The main problem is disruption. We are hearing about a real rise in behaviour problems and a lot in terms of verbal, although not physical abuse.
"It seems to be a general problem everywhere."
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