25-04-2025
How many violent incidents are reported in Powys schools?
Nearly 160 violent incidents were reported in Powys schools last year, according to data from a teacher's union.
Teachers' union NASUWT Cymru requested information from local authorities across Wales to discover how many Violent Incident Report forms had been returned by school-based employees.
The request was made part of an annual survey to establish the extent of violence in schools in Wales, with the report by NASUWT Cymru saying that the evidence the union compiled showed 'education in Wales is reaching a crisis point'.
Data for Powys showed that the past few years has seen over a hundred violent incident reports submitted each year for the past few years.
Powys schools reported 169 incidents in the 2021-2022 school year, 114 in 2022-2023 and 159 over the course of 2023-2024.
The report compiled data from local authorities from across Wales, with the total number of Powys incidents between 2019 and 2024 significantly lower than areas such as Swansea, reporting 3,180, and Newport, reporting 2,338.
NASUWT Cymru added that the report was put together to 'examine the many ways the pupil behaviour crisis is impacting on the teaching profession'.
The report concluded by saying: 'The evidence compiled in this report shows that education in Wales is reaching a crisis point. Violence in schools goes under-reported and yet the data that is available is shocking.
'Support for schools by local authorities is inadequate, so pupils with serious emotional and behavioural difficulties remain placed in schools that are unable to address their needs. Many schools operate behaviour management systems that concentrate on the individual needs of the pupil to the detriment of all the other pupils and the school staff.
'Our data demonstrates that teachers feel unprepared to deal with violence and aggression from learners.
"Good education in schools starts with good behaviour. Happy, healthy and confident teachers are essential for school improvement. And we all want children in Wales to be in a safe and caring environment.
'NASUWT looks forward to the Welsh Government's Behaviour Summit, which is due to take place in May as a result of a sustained NASUWT campaign. But the Summit must produce a clear way forward for schools and teachers.
'As the Summit approaches, NASUWT will set out proposals to address the serious impact of pupil violence and aggression in schools, and will invite the government to work in partnership to achieve our shared goals.'
