Latest news with #NASUWTScotland
The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Teachers raise fears over lack of ASN provision in schools
The number of pupils with ASN in Scottish schools is rising and their needs are becoming more complex, but the union says that funding, support and the number of places in specialist provision are all dwindling. Nearly half (47%) saying that there are pupils in their school who have been identified as needing specialist provision, but remain in their mainstream school because specialist settings are full. A similar number said their local authority has reduced the number of places in specialist settings in order to manage budgets. Almost 400 teachers from Scotland responded to the online survey, which was conducted during February and March 2025. Almost all said that the workload of teachers and school leaders in their school has increased as a result of underfunding for specialist services for ASN. More than half (54%) of respondents who teach in specialist or alternative provision said they had been physically assaulted by a pupil in the previous year, with 59% said they had been threatened with physical assault and four in five had experienced verbal abuse. Nearly half (49%) said they experienced such abuse daily or more than once a day. Two-thirds said the abuse is increasing in severity. Only 14% said their school always takes appropriate action to address behaviour incidents when they are reported and just 4% said the same about local authorities. Delegates at NASUWT Scotland's Annual Conference last month called for the Scottish Government and local authorities to fundamentally rethink how they fund, plan and staff ASN provision. READ MORE: Teachers being 'driven out of schools' as numbers quitting profession surges Why parents of autistic children are turning on Scot Gov's classroom inclusion policy Matt Wrack, NASUWT Acting General Secretary, said: 'The results of this survey only underline the recent damning report by Audit Scotland which heavily criticised the Scottish Government's failure to adequately fund, plan or resource its presumption of mainstream policy.
STV News
03-05-2025
- STV News
School security 'a lottery' putting staff and pupils at risk, teachers warn
Security measures at schools are 'a lottery' leaving the safety of pupils and school staff to chance, teachers have warned. The NASUWT Scotland union claims there has been a failure to implement or retain improvements following the Dunblane massacre nearly 30 years ago. Teachers are concerned that measures to control access to school buildings are no longer strictly applied. The union is calling for the Scottish Government to provide consistent standards of school safety and security for staff and pupils across Scotland by providing the necessary resources to help protect every school site from intruders or attacks. Representatives attending the NASUWT Scotland union's annual conference on Saturday in Glasgow will highlight a failure to maintain security measures in schools implemented Matt Wrack, NASUWT acting general secretary, said: 'We must never forget the horrific events which took place in Dunblane in 1996 in which 16 pupils and their teacher died and 15 others were injured, nor the collective desire to work collaboratively thereafter to ensure that tragedy could never happen again. 'The Cullen Inquiry at the time recognised that those who have the legal responsibility for the health and safety of the teaching staff and pupils in schools should prepare a safety strategy for the protection of the school population against violence, together with an action plan for implementing and monitoring the effectiveness of safety measures appropriate to the particular school. 'Sadly other attacks and attempted attacks on staff and pupils on school sites in the UK have taken place in recent years and teachers report approaches to school security have not been consistently maintained.' Mr Wrack said guidance should be developed in partnership with industry experts and trade unions to ensure schools are aware of their obligations and responsibilities on safety. The unions said parents have the right to expect consistent safety and security when they send children to school. But Mike Corbett, NASUWT Scotland national official, said it varies considerably across the country. He said this was often due to the age of the school building, the availability of resources for school maintenance and the adherence of employers to safety guidance. 'This is not about turning schools into fortresses, but putting in place proportionate measures to ensure security is not compromised,' he said. A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'The Dunblane atrocity was one of Scotland's darkest days and we will always remember the 16 children and the teacher who tragically lost their lives. 'Although it is the statutory responsibility of local authorities to manage their school estate, we expect them to provide safe environments for all school users.' A COSLA Spokesperson said: 'Councils take the health and safety of their workforce and those that access their services very seriously. 'This obviously includes children, young people and school staff. Every effort is made to ensure that learning environments are safe and secure spaces that are also welcoming and nurturing. If any employee feels unsafe, they should raise this with their line manager in the first instance and follow local authority protocols in terms of alerting senior officers.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The Herald Scotland
02-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Far-right social media 'fuelling rising violence in Scottish schools'
Mr Anderson, a computing specialist from East Ayrshire, will say social media is helping to fuel rising incidents of harassment, threats and violence. Speaking at NASUWT Scotland's annual conference in Glasgow on Friday, he will tell members that education is the way forward to reduce the growing threat posed by far-right and populist movements. A motion on tackling the far-right will be debated at the conference, which calls for pupils to be educated about the dangers of hate speech from primary school onwards in order to challenge the spread of prejudice-based abuse. READ MORE: Explained: What is the latest on smartphones in Scottish schools? Warning Scotland's education system 'teeters on the edge of collapse' Concern over Glasgow school violence in wake of Adolescence show Mr Anderson will tell the conference: 'Abusive rhetoric by politicians is trickling down and facilitating increasingly abusive and hateful speech in social media, which in turn seems to be spurring rapid increases in the frequency of bias-motivated incidents of harassment, threats, and violence, including rampant surges in hate crimes. 'Schools and classrooms in some cases have become a battleground of blame and violence.' Nearly two-thirds (63%) of teachers in Scotland who responded to the union's recent behaviour in schools survey feel social media negatively impacts pupil behaviour. Some 5% of female teachers who responded reported experiencing sexual abuse from pupils, compared to 2% of male teachers. Female respondents reported sexism and misogyny as among the types of abuse they receive from pupils. At the conference, Mr Anderson will also call for vigilance and a united front to continue to challenge 'prejudice and hatred' that he says is a threat to equality. He will say: 'Education is often perceived as a threat by the extreme right. 'Internationally, we see the closure of departments of education and the removal of programmes to promote equality within society. 'In the USA it's called DEI, diversity equality inclusion – that's in the NASUWT DNA. We must protect and call out any attempt to water down or attack these principles. 'Education remains the best tool we have to counter racist narratives, to address prejudice against refugees and to tackle intolerance in our communities.'
STV News
02-05-2025
- Politics
- STV News
Far-right movements 'fuelling racist and violent behaviour in Scottish schools'
The influence of far-right movements is turning some Scottish schools into a 'battleground of blame and violence', according to a teachers' union leader. David Anderson, the incoming president of NASUWT Scotland, will tell the union's annual conference on Friday that racist, misogynistic and anti-immigrant rhetoric is trickling into schools across the country, leading to incidents of harassment, threats and violence. The warning comes just weeks after First Minister John Swinney convened a gathering to unite Scotland against the 'increasingly extreme far right'. Swinney warned of 'serious threats' to democracy and Scotland's values at the summit, which was attended by more than 50 leaders from political parties, civic society, faith communities, and the trade union movement. A motion on tackling the threat posed by far-right influences is due to be debated at the NASUWT conference on Friday. It will call for pupils to be educated about the dangers of hate speech from primary school age in order to challenge the spread of prejudice-based abuse. Mr Anderson, a computing specialist from East Ayrshire, will tell conference: 'Abusive rhetoric by politicians is trickling down and facilitating increasingly abusive and hateful speech in social media, which in turn seems to be spurring rapid increases in the frequency of bias-motivated incidents of harassment, threats, and violence, including rampant surges in hate crimes. 'Schools and classrooms in some cases have become a battleground of blame and violence.' Nearly two-thirds (63%) of teachers in Scotland who responded to the union's recent behaviour in schools survey feel that social media negatively impacts pupil behaviour. Some 5% of female teachers in Scotland who responded to the survey reported experiencing sexual abuse from pupils, compared to 2% of male teachers. Female respondents reported sexism and misogyny as among the types of abuse they receive from pupils. A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'Schools should be safe and consistent learning environments for all. Violent and abusive behaviour towards pupils or staff is unacceptable. 'The Scottish Government is providing support and direction at a national level, including the publication of the National Behaviour Action Plan. Local authorities are expected to implement this guidance to meet particular needs at a local level. 'We are also supporting new initiatives in schools such as the Digital Discourse Initiative, which provides teachers with practical strategies and curriculum tools to support staff to counter the effects of online hate and disinformation on children and young people.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The National
01-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Far-right turning Scottish schools into 'battlegrounds of violence'
David Anderson will tell the NASUWT Scotland conference that racist, misogynistic and anti-immigrant rhetoric is trickling into schools with increasing numbers of teachers subjected to hateful abuse online. He will say this has been fuelled by the rise of social media, with teachers now facing more aggressive parents and pupils. READ MORE: Scottish Greens to raise Russell Findlay 'abuse' with Presiding Officer A motion on tackling the far-right is due to be debated at the conference which calls for pupils to be taught about the dangers of hate speech from primary school onwards to challenge the spread of prejudice-based abuse. Nearly two-thirds of teachers in Scotland who responded to the union's recent behaviour in schools survey feel that social media negatively impacts pupil behaviour. Anderson is expected to say: 'We see the changes in broader society manifested in the classroom conduct of pupils and that of their parents and carers. 'Abusive rhetoric by politicians is trickling down and facilitating increasingly abusive and hateful speech in social media, which in turn seems to be spurring rapid increases in the frequency of bias-motivated incidents of harassment, threats, and violence, including rampant surges in hate crimes. (Image: Yui Mok/PA Wire) 'Schools and classrooms in some cases have become a battleground of blame and violence.' A total of 5% of female teachers in Scotland who responded to the survey reported experiencing sexual abuse from pupils, compared to 2% of male teachers. Female respondents reported sexism and misogyny as among the types of abuse they receive from pupils. Anderson will also call for trade unions to campaign hard to challenge prejudice and hatred in the face of national and global threats to hard-won progress on equality. 'Education is often perceived as a threat by the extreme right. Internationally, we see the closure of departments of education and the removal of programmes to promote equality within society,' he will say. 'In the USA it's called DEI, Diversity Equality Inclusion - that's in the NASUWT DNA. 'We must protect and call out any attempt to water down or attack these principles. Trade unions like ours must remain vigilant to the hatred of far-right politics, both here at home in the UK, across Europe and internationally. 'The threat of far-right populism sought to destroy the union movement and unions had to work together to resist and campaign against it. The malignant tentacles of hate are spreading throughout our near neighbours in Europe as well as globally. 'Trade unions need to campaign hard to fight the threat.'
