Thousands paid out in compensation to teaching staff in South East
Councils in the South East have paid out tens of thousands of pounds in compensation to staff who have been injured during school violence, a BBC investigation can reveal.Between 2019/20 and 2023/24, local authorities paid damages of £64,555 for cases linked to assaults on teachers or teaching assistants.It comes as the latest government figures suggest a rise in pupil suspensions for assaults on adults.The Department for Education (DfE) said nobody should face violence or abuse in the workplace, "including our incredible school staff who are vital to improving life chances for all children".
BBC South East asked all councils in the region to reveal the level of damages paid out to school staff who had been injured during assaults at school over a five-year period.Kent County Council (KCC) paid £25,000 to a member of staff who had been injured by a student assaulting them.Surrey County Council paid £10,375 to school workers who sustained injury caused by a pupil assaulting themEast Sussex County Council (ESCC) paid £22,000 to staff for breaking up fights between pupils. Medway Council paid £7,180 for the same reason.
One former teaching assistant previously told BBC South East how she quit the profession after being hit, kicked, bitten and sworn at by pupils.The latest DfE figures show there were 1,997 suspensions across Kent, Surrey and Sussex during the autumn term 2023/24 for physical assault against an adult in school - up from 1,470 during the same term in 2022/23, a 35% increase.
Teaching union NASUWT said the increase in the number of pupils being suspended for assaulting school staff reflected feedback from their members that levels of violence and abuse from pupils had increased since the pandemic."These figures represent the tip of the iceberg, as we know that in too many cases schools fail to deal effectively with serious assaults and attacks on teachers," said Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT general secretary."Schools too need to respond to the increase in violent and disruptive behaviour by ensuring there are effective behaviour management policies in place to deal with and deter acts of violence and abuse and that sanctions are clearly and consistently enforced."Meanwhile, a poll published last month by the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) of more than 1,600 of its members, found 82% had been abused by parents in the past year.The survey said 10% had suffered physical violence.
Marie Gentles, an education consultant and behaviour adviser, said: "I think most teachers and school staff would be able to pinpoint the increase in suspensions since Covid."We have a bigger number of dysregulated children and dysregulated adults trying to support the children."We need to be more preventative than reactive by understanding the reasons behind the behaviours."I do think some of it is linked to unmet need around special educational needs and mental health," added the former headteacher.
The founder of Oasis Community Learning, an academies trust which runs a number of schools across the country, said there needed to be more investment in children's mental health.Rev Steve Chalke said: "An investment in the social emotional and mental health of our children is one that will pay for itself time after time."A child that grows up socially, emotionally and mentally healthy will be one that contributes to society throughout their lives. A child who is not invested in will be a cost to society throughout their lifetime."
A spokesperson for ESCC said that schools in academies in East Sussex "work hard to support young people to be successful at school"."Any decision to suspend or exclude a child will be taken by the school's headteacher, according to the school's behaviour policy," they added.A KCC spokesperson said: "We support senior school leaders to take the decisions needed to keep staff, pupils and communities safe, while supporting the youngster to still receive the education they are entitled to."
'Breaking down barriers'
A DFE spokesperson said: "As part of our Plan for Change, we are committed to turning the tide on poor behaviour, breaking down barriers to opportunity and ensuring every child can achieve and thrive."Our new regional improvement teams will work with schools to spread the highest standards of behaviour across our classrooms, and we are committed to providing access to a specialist mental health professional in every school. But we know there is more to do and are looking closely at how we can go further to support teachers and drive-up standards for all our children."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC News
8 hours ago
- NBC News
Former NFL star Antonio Brown wanted on attempted murder charge in Miami
Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown is wanted on an attempted murder charge in Miami, according to an arrest warrant. The warrant, signed by a judge Wednesday and provided by the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office, lists the charges as attempted second degree murder with a $10,000 bond. Brown did not immediately respond to an NBC News request for comment. It is not clear if he has a lawyer. The charge stems from a May 16 incident outside of an amateur boxing event in the Little Haiti neighborhood of Miami, where videos circulating online appeared to show Brown in a melee where gunshots could be heard. According to the warrant for Brown's arrest, Florida Highway Patrol officers were working off-duty as security for the boxing event when several people approached a lieutenant with reports of hearing gunshots outside. Multiple witnesses identified Brown as the shooter, the warrant states, who was patted down and detained. Brown, 36, was not armed at the time. The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout then posted on X the next morning, stating he was not arrested and was the victim in the attack. 'I was jumped by multiple individuals who tried to steal my jewelry and cause physical harm to me. Contrary to some video circulating, Police temporarily detained me until they received my side of the story and then released me,' Brown wrote. But after reviewing security footage the following day, officers identified Brown as punching another man, sparking three other individuals to join the fight, according to the warrant. The footage then allegedly showed Brown taking the firearm of a security officer and approaching the man he had punched. Cell phone video captured two shots fired, with the man Brown attacked "ducking" after the first shot was heard, the warrant states. During their investigation, officers found two spent shell casings and an empty firearm holster at the scene. In an interview with authorities, the man who was allegedly attacked stated he had known Brown since 2022 and positively identified him as the person who shot at him, grazing his neck, according to the warrant. The man had visible injuries and was treated at the hospital the night of the incident. The 36-year-old Brown has faced multiple run-ins with authorities over the years and throughout his 12-year career in the NFL, much of which was spent with the Pittsburgh Steelers following his 2010 draft. Brown was released from the New England Patriots after one game in 2019 amid sexual assault allegations made by a former trainer, a lawsuit that was ultimately settled in 2021. Brown denied the allegations. Brown was then signed by the Buccaneers, where he played for two seasons, during which he faced a three-game suspension for faking his Covid-19 vaccination status. His life off the field continued to stir controversy as Brown landed himself on probation for attacking a truck driver in Hollywood, Florida in 2020. In late 2021, Brown ended his NFL career in a dramatic fashion, puling off his jersey and walking off the field at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey before the end of Tampa Bay's game against the New York Jets.
Edinburgh Live
9 hours ago
- Edinburgh Live
West Lothian pub 'visited by Rabbie Burns' gets beer garden licence
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 Two popular Livingston pubs have won extensions to their licence to allow outdoor drinking. The agreement of West Lothian Licensing Board will formalise outdoor drinking at one of the oldest pubs, dating back to the 1760s, as well as one from the development of Livingston as a new town in the 1960s. An agent for the Livingston Inn in Livingston Village's Main Street told the Board that the inn was said to have been visited by "a certain Rabbie Burns." The pub currently has outdoor tables front and back. The pub applied for licence variation to formalise occasional licences to use a grassed area behind the pub as a beer garden. Police had no objections and the licence was granted with the usual conditions including limits on outdoor music and no serving beyond 9pm. The Tower Bar in Craigshill was built in 1968. It has recently developed as popular community hub supporting the people of Craigshill since the Covid lockdown. The owners Fiona McLeod and Frank McAlister applied for variations to their existing licence and an extension to beer garden licence with permit to use outside space until 11pm. An agent said the application was largely 'a tidy up' of the existing licence. The Tower has recently undergone renovation and provides a popular restaurant as well as community space. However Police Scotland objected to a beer garden licence extending until 11pm fearing noise disturbance for neighbours and the potential for alcohol related disruption. A police licensing sergeant insisted the force: 'considered the premises to be well-run and an asset to the community' Council Safer Neighbourhood Officers had been called in May following complaints about disturbance from a party in the beer garden at the time it was operating on occasional licences. After going into private session councillors proposed that the variations be allowed on the conditions that standard conditions on outdoor space be applied including the 9pm finish to serving in the beer garden and an additional condition governing the use of amplified music or live performance beyond 7pm. This was accepted by the agent and owners.
Leader Live
10 hours ago
- Leader Live
Man who attacked officers outside police station had been referred to Prevent
Alexander Dighton, 28, knocked one officer unconscious and stabbed another in the leg when he launched an attack on Talbot Green Police Station in Rhondda Cynon Taf on January 31. In a police interview, Dighton, of Pontyclun, said he did not consider the scope of damage, 'merely that blood had to be spilt'. He previously pleaded guilty to 10 charges relating to the incident. At a sentencing hearing at the Old Bailey on Friday, Judge Mark Lucraft KC heard Dighton had been referred to the anti-terrorism programme Prevent a year before the incident. Prosecutor Nicholas Hearn said: 'On January 5 2024, the defendant was reported to Prevent by his sister, who stated her brother holds racist and anti-Muslim views and is likely to be involved with incel groups. 'She also stated that he is vulnerable as he has gone missing previously and has attempted suicide.' The incel movement is made up of people who find themselves unsuccessful in relationships, often harbouring extreme and misogynistic views. On the night of the attack, Dighton arrived at the police station shortly before 7pm, where he lit a petrol bomb and threw it at a police van. When that failed to ignite, he attempted to start a fire by pouring lighter fluid over the van before smashing the windows of two vehicles using a pole. When confronted by officers, Dighton said: 'I'm fed up, I'm done,' before launching his attack. Attempts to restrain him using a Taser were unsuccessful because of the body armour he was wearing. He swung a pole at one officer, punched one in the head and stabbed another in the thigh, narrowly missing his femoral artery. Two of the three injured officers were taken to hospital for treatment. The court also heard Dighton had recently been involved in an altercation with his neighbour, during which he used a homophobic slur. A week before the incident, he had received a letter from the police telling him to attend a police station to provide biometric samples in relation to the alleged public order offence. In a police interview after the attack on the police station, he said that he expected officers to go to his home to attempt to arrest him for not providing a sample. Mr Hearn said: 'He intended to attack the police officers who attended with a shovel, which he had sharpened for that purpose, and that his intention at that time was to kill any police officers who attended. 'No officers in fact attended the defendant's address.' During the interview, he also said his intention was to let it be known that 'his tolerance for the government had come to an end' by causing as much damage as possible. Mr Hearn said: '(Dighton) said that he had 'teetered' as to whether he wanted to kill someone and had not been 'fully decided'.' Dighton, representing himself in court, spoke about violence being 'justified' against the state. He referred to grooming gangs and 'Boris Johnson having parties while the country is locked down' during the Covid-19 pandemic. The defendant added: 'People have such a short memory, it is terrible. 'I will be dead before I leave prison anyway, so that doesn't bother me.' The hearing continues.
