Primary school violence is spiralling out of control after new figures revealed nearly 11,000 reports in a single year.
The horror stats also showed a surge in secondary schools across swathes of the country.
Lib Dem MSP Willie Rennie said: “Since returning after months of lockdown, staff are almost universally reporting a sharp increase in behavioural problems among pupils.
“Scotland’s political and educational leadership is keeping tight-lipped about it all, but if the Scottish Government doesn’t address this now, it could quickly escalate into a national scandal.”
The Daily Record’s ‘Our Kids…Our Future’ has exposed the epidemic of youth violence and called for social media giants and political leaders to take urgent action.
New figures covering the number of violent incident reports in schools across local authorities has laid bare the full extent of the problem
Some councils provided figures solely for violence against staff and others also included incidents against pupils.
In 2021/22, the number shot up by around 56% to 10,852 compared to the previous year, which coincided with the pandemic.
It was also higher than the 10,772 recorded in 2018/19.
In Edinburgh, the primary school violence figure jumped from 402 to 771 in one year and in Fife it rose from 677 to 1068.
Cases in Aberdeen shot up from 308 to 637 and in the Borders from 521 to 1028.
Of the 25 local authorities that provided a primary school breakdown, there had been an increase in 2021/22 in twenty of the councils.
In secondaries, the number of reports increased from 1,544 in 2020/21 to 2,951 last year - a huge rise.
It also shows a longer term jump as the overall figure in 2018 was 2,728.
In Dundee, the number increased from 148 to 348 in one year, while in North Lanarkshire it rose from 179 to 278.
The Record launched its campaign in February after we reported the shocking assault of autistic schoolgirl Abbie Jarvis at a skatepark in Glasgow in 2022.
Abbie, then 12, was lured to the facility in the city’s Drumchapel area and beaten unconscious in an attack which left her in hospital for two days. She has since been diagnosed with PTSD.
In another shocking case, a clip shared widely on social media showed an altercation where one pupil could be seen getting repeatedly punched and kicked.
This incident took place at Waid Academy in Fife. Rennie said: “The footage from a Fife classroom of one young girl kicking another in the face will stay with me, probably forever. It’s deeply unsettling that similar instances are happening right across Scotland, particularly in primary schools.
“We need a considered approach that gets straight to the root cause of the violence. We would give teachers and staff the resources, support and training to respond effectively and reduce violent incidents.
“We also need to invest far more in specialist provision, such as classroom assistants, education psychologists and specialist teachers.”
“I want to pay tribute to all the work the Daily Record have put into their ‘Our Kids...Our Future’ campaign. The newspaper is right to call for more community spaces and activities for young people because this is one of the key ways we will reduce violence and ensure every child is supported."
Our campaign has demanded ring-fenced funding to ensure communities have a place for teenagers to go, action by social media giants on harmful content, and asked every adult in Scotland to take a lead in their community.
Green MSP Ross Greer said: "No pupil or staff member should fear being attacked at school. Tackling this rise will need far more than just harsher punishments for those responsible though.
"Some of these attacks, such as those against LGBTQ pupils and women & girls are motivated by bigoted attitudes which require a zero-tolerance response, but in other instances the young person lashing out is in urgent need of support themselves. That's why the Greens have worked so hard to increase access to mental health counselling in schools.
"We clearly need to continue increasing support for staff in dealing with physical violence and to provide all pupils with the nurturing, supportive environment in which they can feel safe as well as respect the safety of those around them."
EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said: “Schools must be safe places to work and to learn, and violence against any member of school staff is never acceptable. We are hearing reports of increased instances of violence against staff post-pandemic, so local authorities and the Scottish Government must take all possible action to ensure that our schools are safe.
"Additional funding to increase the numbers of specialist staff available to support young people facing social, emotional and behavioural difficulties could help to address this issue, as would better support for teachers working with young people from a wide range of backgrounds. Staff should be encouraged to report all incidents of violence that occur and must receive appropriate support from their employer in all cases.”
Tory MSP Stephen Kerr said: “These figures are deeply concerning. There needs to be a zero-tolerance approach from SNP ministers towards the ever-increasing number of attacks occurring in Scotland’s schools.
“However, precious little action has been forthcoming. The recent incident at Johnstone High School was sadly not unique and only highlighted how many pupils and teachers are at risk while going to school right now.
“That should never be the case. The response from Jenny Gilruth – herself a former teacher – earlier in the week was deeply disappointing.
“The education secretary must lead from the front rather than passing the buck to our under-pressure schools and cash-strapped local authorities.
“Violence is becoming endemic in Scotland’s schools and we need to see a clear plan from the SNP as to how they are going to tackle it.”
Labour MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy said: “After years of cuts, a failure to make good on promises of smaller class sizes, a woeful record on mental health support for young people, this SNP government have presided over a classroom environment that is so tense, staff and pupils are pushed to breaking point.
"This didn’t happen overnight, it’s the result of disinterest and complacency on the part of successive education secretaries. It’s time for Jenny Gilruth to step up and take action before more pupils and staff are failed.”
Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said: “Any form of violence in our schools is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
“As a former teacher, I fully understand the pressures faced by my ex-colleagues and vital work they do every day in our classrooms. I also attended NASUWT’s conference on Saturday and discussed some of the current challenges in our classrooms with members.
“I am determined to ensure that teachers and all school staff are better supported to deal with behaviour in our schools, including reporting of incidents. We will continue to engage with trade unions and later this year we will publish updated material showing the national picture in relation to this issue.
“The Scottish Government works closely with local authorities to tackle violence and bullying in schools, supported by wider investment of more than £2 million on violence prevention.
“It is the case that Local Authorities have a statutory responsibility for the provision of Education in our schools – but Ministers very much recognise the need for partnership working between central and local government on this issue. To that end I met with the Association of Directors of Education last week and chaired the Scottish Advisory Group on Relationships and Behaviour in Schools with COSLA and Trade Unions in attendance.”
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