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STV News
10 hours ago
- STV News
Teachers 'constantly on alert' as violence soars in Scotland's classrooms
Teachers say they live in a constant state of alert as violence in Scotland's classrooms continues to rise. New figures obtained by STV News show the majority of local authorities in the north of Scotland have seen a surge in violent attacks from pupils towards staff in the last three years, including physical and verbal incidents. It comes as violent crimes committed by children have hit a record high. The 2025 Scottish Crime and Justice Survey (SCJS) shows the proportion of violent offenders under the age of 16 is at its highest recorded level. Incidents where the perpetrator was under 16 and took place at the victim's workplace accounted for nearly a quarter of all violent crimes in 2023/24 – up from 5% in both 2019/20 and 2021/22 – with most offences carried out against education and care workers. For teachers like Laura, not her real name, this is the everyday reality in some schools in Scotland. Laura said: 'I have quite a lot of nightmares about specific incidents and about being back at work and being frightened. I'm really anxious already about going back to work.' 'With violence against staff on the rise, many are considering leaving the profession all together. 'Being hit, pushed, headbutted, scratched, bitten, kicked on a daily basis. I'm covered in bruises most term time. I have to say, I'm looking at other careers, which is heartbreaking.' STV News Eight out of ten council areas in the north report rising number of violent incidents Eight of the ten councils that responded reported a rise in violence. The majority saw an increase in physical and verbal attacks. The highest number of incidents was in Aberdeen (1,214) at more than 1,200 – that was a 70% increase over the course of three years. In Moray (1,058) there were more than a 1,000 in the last academic year. Although that was down from the previous year, it's still an overall increase of 172% since 2022. Attacks in schools in Shetland rose by 78.5% between 2022 to 2024 from 70 to 125. However in Angus, there was no increase in the past two years, with 372 incidents each year between 2023 and 2025. Unions says the findings are alarming – and warn teachers safety is at risk. Scotland's national union official for NASUWT, Mike Corbett, said: 'Regrettably, if you look at that incident where the bus driver was stabbed by a teenager, that could easily happen at a school. 'There needs to be something there so pupils themselves say 'I'm not going to get away with that, I'm not going to be allowed to indulge in unacceptable behaviour, I'm not going to be allowed to be violent.'' Kim has worked in the profession for almost a decade, but she says at her current school in Aberdeen some classes are just about surviving. She said: 'You're constantly on alert, you're constantly looking out for the next attack, because you know it's going to come. 'We're not overstating it, this is every single day we're going in and we're being verbally and physically abused, and no one cares.' She blames a rise in misogyny for some of the behaviour – and a lack of consequences. STV News NASUWT's Mike Corbett 'Two boys marched into my classroom and basically squared up to me. I told them to get out of my classroom, they did, and I closed my door. 'They then proceeded to kick my door down. We've had instances where we've had fireworks fired at teachers inside the school building.' The Scottish Government introduced guidance to tackle rising levels of violence and aggression earlier this year. Cabinet secretary for education Jenny Gilruth said: 'In the budget, we've managed to provide local authorities with an additional £186.5m to restore teacher numbers. 'Alongside that, an additional £29m to restore teacher numbers, which is hugely important to my mind. You have to get the staffing right if you're going to meet challenges in our schools. A properly resourced classroom is fundamental to tackling these challenges particularly post pandemic.' But unions say there's much more work to be done. EIS branch secretary Ron Constable said: 'We need to make sure there is resources in terms of teachers, that we're still employing teachers and that the one and a half hours non-class contact time is introduced for all teachers. 'This would mean employing more teachers and that there is ASN specialist teachers provision and that there are trained PSAs in place as well.' 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
Daily Record
07-08-2025
- Daily Record
Violent crime by children in Scotland at record levels says shock new report
A shock new Scottish Government report shows that violence by children - including assaults on teachers - accounted for a third of all violent crimes last year Violent crime by children - including attacks on teachers - is at record levels according to a shock new report. The annual Scottish Crime and Justice Survey (SCJS), carried out for the Scottish Government, found attacks by under 16's which took place in the victim's workplace accounted for 23 percent of all violent crimes last year. Up from five per cent in both 2019/20 and 2021/22. The study then revealed that workplace based violent crimes involving children appeared to be 'mainly against workers in education or care roles'. No details were given of the types of attacks on teachers but the report said 87 percent of all violent crime across Scotland involved assaults or attempted assaults with eight percent coming in the serious assault category. Yesterday there were calls for the Scottish Government to take urgent action to stem the rising tide of violence in the classroom with one union saying they would consider industrial action if nothing is done. Mike Corbett National Official of the NASUWT teachers union said: "There is no doubt that these figures capture some of the issues facing teachers in Scotland's schools at the moment and echo the findings of our own surveys, all of which confirm that there has been an increase in violent and abusive behaviour from pupils towards teachers in recent years. "The Scottish Government, recognised the problem and published a Joint Action Plan on Relationships and Behaviour in August last year to try and help to address this. Regrettably, when surveyed in January this year about the Action Plan, only four percent of NASUWT members in Scotland had been made aware of it by their local authority or school. "It is vital that the Action Plan is properly embedded in Scotland's schools this academic year. "If not, NASUWT will not hesitate to support members in taking industrial action to protect their health and safety, wherever necessary." Earlier this year the union raised concerns of members at Kirkintilloch High School in East Dunbartonshire over the numbers of attacks on staff who claimed that the pupils responsible faced no consequences for their abusive and violent behaviour. An spokesperson for the EIS teaching union added;"Violence in schools, including assaults on teachers and other school staff, is a serious issue which has become even more acute in recent years. "This has come into particularly sharp focus in the years since the pandemic, with a growing number of young people living in challenging circumstances and this can sometimes lead to inappropriate behaviour in schools, including violence in extreme cases.. "There is a need for greater support for school staff to help manage pupil behaviour. "Where violent incidents do occur, schools must have robust procedures in place to deal with these incidents and must offer support to the staff concerned. " A total of 231,000 violent crimes were suffered by adults in 2023/24 according to the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey y. Of that total the proportion of offenders under the age of 16 was almost a third (31 per cent). More than treble the 2021/22 figure at eight percent. The SCJS report said it was unusual to see such a large change in one year. It added:'The increase in violent crime is being driven by more occurring in a victim's workplace, and those involving perpetrators under the age of 16." Scottish Labour Justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill said: "It is quite clear that the SNP Government have no answers to tackle this serious trend. "Despite the summits they have had on youth crime there has been nothing of substance in the action they plan to take. "It is obvious there needs to be an injection of resources to increase early intervention programmes, using tried and tested ways of setting young people on a better path." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and former youth worker Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:""While acts of violence require a strong response, punishing predominantly law-abiding young people cannot be only broader solution. "We need youth work to pre-empt and prevent those acts, to properly engage young people in society and lay the foundations for them to succeed in life.' The SCJS study was based on 4,970 interviews with adults aged 16 and over in Scotland, conducted between July 2023 and April last year. Justice Secretary Angela Constance said 'The Scottish Government is taking decisive action to tackle youth violence through our comprehensive Violence Prevention Framework, backed by over £6 million in targeted investment since May 2023. "We have also increased funding to the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit to £1.2 million this year to deliver increased activity to help steer young people away from violence including knife crime. "I recently chaired a cross-party meeting on youth violence with the First Minister and we are actively developing additional measures to support young people, families and communities. Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Mark Sutherland added :"Violence in any environment, including schools, is entirely unacceptable." In the last two years the Daily Record has highlighted the growing problem of teacher attacks and youth violence as part of "Our Future Campaign." In June we reported how a pupil who left a teacher scarred for life in a savage attack walked free from court. Kieran Matthew, 18, dumped Carol Shaw head-first on a concrete floor at St Paul's Academy in Dundee and left her in a pool of blood. He then put his feet up on a desk and said: 'That stupid cow deserved it.' The city's sheriff court heard how Matthew, who has ADHD was being educated outside mainstream classes, lashed out after refusing to get changed alone. Matthew was told that the teacher attack merited 18 months in custody. However, he was instead put under social work supervision for three years and placed on a curfew for 12 months. In another incident in May, 2023 a teacher was left lying on the floor of a corridor at Taylor High School in Motherwell school corridor after he was allegedly attacked by a pupil. A 13-year-old male was later charged in connection with the incident. We also told that same month of how a Primary School teacher attacked in a classroom was left with a lifechanging disability and unable to hold his newborn baby. The man, who asked not to be named, said that staff were frightened to report violent attacks taking place in schools due to a "toxic culture of teacher blaming". Another teacher said they frequently struggle to deliver lessons due to constant disruption in the classroom. He said: "We have fire alarms being set off regularly, pupils running around corridors during class time, some causing disruption by coming into lessons they are not timetabled for or just defiantly not coming to their lesson at all."
Daily Record
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
Crime in Ayrshire decreases according to new Scottish Government figures
Figures released by the Scottish Government revealed that crime in Ayrshire fell last year. New figures released by the Scottish Government have revealed that crime in Ayrshire fell last year. Data released as part of the Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2024-25 report found that crime across Scotland fell marginally last year. North Ayrshire remained the most dangerous area in the county with the highest level of recorded crime and the only one of the three council areas in the region to be higher than the Scottish average. Recorded crime in North Ayrshire fell from 579 per 10,000 population in 2023-24 to 569 per 10,000 population in 2024-25. That remained above the Scottish average (545 per 10,000) and North Ayrshire was the sixth most dangerous place in the country. Neighbouring East Ayrshire saw a slightly larger fall as recorded crime in the region fell below the Scottish average. In 2023-24, 546 crimes were recorded in East Ayrshire for every 10,000 people. Last year that fell to 535 per 10,000 population. South Ayrshire again had the lowest crime rate in the county at 462 per 10,000 population in 2024-25. That fell from 503 in 2023-24. Across Scotland, almost 300,000 crimes were recorded as the crime rate fell marginally across the country as a whole. Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: 'These figures show that Scotland continues to be safe place to live with reported crime falling by more than half since 1991. 'This comes on the back of the flagship Scottish Crime and Justice Survey which also showed people feel safer in their communities. 'Violent crime is down significantly in the past 20 years, with serious assaults and homicide levels at record lows. However, we cannot afford to be complacent and I have been consistently clear that any instance of violence is one too many. 'That is why we are taking a wide range of actions to prevent, reduce and tackle violence, with more than £6 million funding invested over the past three years. 'I am concerned these figures also show a rise in reported sexual crimes. Multiple factors will lie behind this and our action to tackle sexual offending includes increasing confidence in the justice system so more victims come forward, improving support for victims and modernising the law on sexual offences. 'I also recognise the significant harm and disruption caused by retail crime, which is why we have made £3 million available in this year's Budget for Police Scotland to work with the retail sector to help tackle this issue. 'This year we will invest £4.2 billion across the justice system including a record £1.64 billion for policing – an increase of £90 million on 2024-25. 'As part of the Scottish Government's broader package to tackle violence, we have increased funding to the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit from £1.17 million last year to over £1.2 million this year. 'Projects supporting young people at risk of being drawn into criminal activities, under the Cashback for Communities programme, will receive up to £26 million over the next three financial years.'
Daily Record
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
Scots fear crime is rising in their local area as SNP Government accused of 'hollowing out' police
Only 11 per cent of Scots believe the crime rate in their area has fallen in recent years, a poll has found. The SNP Government has been urged to make policing a "greater priority" after a poll found a third of Scots believe crime in their neighbourhood has increased. Research by Survation revealed that 34 per cent of people think the crime rate in their areas is either a little or a lot more than it was two years ago. The concerns come despite official figures showing recorded crime in 2024-25 was down slightly from the previous year – and has more than halved since 1991. But polling carried out for 1919 magazine found only 11 per cent of people believed the crime rate in their area to be down over the last two years. Nearly two-thirds of Scots added they were not confident the police have enough resources to prevent crime happening in the first place, while almost half said the same for dealing with incidents as they occur. It found 51 per cent also said they were not confident the police have the resources to respond quickly to calls and information from the public. And 46 per cent were not confident police in their area have enough resources to solve crimes, and 58 per cent are concerned they are not able to provide a visible presence in the community. David Threadgold, chair of the Scottish Police Federation, said: 'When police have the tools and the resources, they have the ability to get the job done but, at present, we're not able to carry out basic police functions like interacting with the public to prevent crime in the first place. "Operational cops are hamstrung because they are carrying out health functions. Policing has got to become a greater priority for Government.' Labour justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill said: 'Everyone should be able to feel safe in their local community. However, this poll suggests that for too many people, that is sadly not the case.' She added that this 'pinpoints exactly the problem with policing under the SNP' – saying the Government has 'allowed basic policing to decline, therefore trust in the police service is being eroded'. McNeill insisted: 'Members of the public must be given the reassurance that when they need help, our police will be there for them. "Unfortunately, this SNP Government has failed to back Police Scotland, just as it has allowed public services to decline.' Angela Constance said she was 'concerned' to hear of a 'perceived increase in crime' as she stressed the Scottish Government was providing record budget funding for policing. The Justice Secretary said: "I want to reassure people that Scotland continues to be a safe place to live with reported crime falling by more than half since 1991. "This is backed up by the recently published Recorded Crime in Scotland 2024-25, which shows reported crime falling by more than half since 1991 and the flagship Scottish Crime and Justice Survey which also showed people feel safer in their communities.' She added: 'This year, we will invest £4.2 billion across the justice system including a record £1.64 billion for policing – an increase of £90 million on 2024-25." A Police Scotland spokesperson said: 'We welcome scrutiny and the Chief Constable is very clear about the priority of strengthening the front line as part of our vision of safer communities, less crime, supported victims and a thriving workforce. "Over a period of many years Scotland has experienced less crime. However, we are not complacent and work in partnership to ensure the country remains a safe place to live and work."
Scottish Sun
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Freeing criminals early from Scots prisons will ‘erode trust' in justice, charity warns
SNP ministers sneaked through the move unannounced before parly broke up for the summer, with the new home detention curfew rules kicking in from October 'SHAMEFUL' Freeing criminals early from Scots prisons will 'erode trust' in justice, charity warns FREEING criminals from jail after just 15 per cent of their sentence will 'erode trust' in justice, a charity has warned. Victim Support Scotland has hit out at a new law allowing cons to be freed from prison after just 15 per cent of their sentence would 'erode trust' in the justice system. Advertisement 2 Victim Support Scotland has raised concerns over the impact on trust in the justice system due to releasing prisoners early Credit: Getty 2 Scottish Tory MSP Liam Kerr said inmates will be "rubbing their hands with glee" Credit: Alamy We told earlier how SNP ministers sneaked through the move unannounced before parly broke up for the summer, with the new home detention curfew rules kicking in from October. It means inmates, including violent offenders, could be freed on an electronic tag after 15 per cent of their sentence, down from the current 25 per cent. Victim Support Scotland said the move was 'concerning', especially given 'the current lack of capacity for prisoner rehabilitation' in Scotland's jails. A spokeswoman said: 'The recent Scottish Crime and Justice Survey shows decreasing confidence in the criminal justice system - this has been a repeated trend for the last five years. Advertisement 'Measures like these early release measures contribute to this erosion of trust.' There were almost 6,000 criminals fitted with tags in 2023/24, with an increase of 14 per cent on the previous year. Tragic cases involving criminals on home detention curfew include the 2017 murder of Paisley dad Craig McClelland by killer James Wright, who'd sabotaged his tag and dodged cops for six months. The SNP, Labour, Liberal Democrats and Greens voted for the move this week, but the Scottish Tories opposed it. Advertisement Tory shadow justice secretary Liam Kerr said prisoners across Scotland 'will be rubbing their hands with glee at the SNP's shameful capitulation to criminals'. Victim Support Scotland, headed by chief exec , said its primary concern was 'the safety and wellbeing of people impacted by crime' and said victims must be informed of any early releases so they can 'plan for their safety and even risk meeting perpetrators unexpectedly in their community'. Heartbreaking Old Firm march Grieving parents call for knife crime action in Scotland The spokeswoman added: 'We fear further Emergency Early Release programmes alongside Prisoner Early Release and revised Home Detention Curfew regulations, begging the question of any meaningful prison sentence or rehabilitation for offenders.' A Scottish Government research report this month said offenders released under electronic monitoring - or EM - 'may be less likely to reoffend than those released without monitoring', but admitted: 'Some studies found no difference in offending behaviour between those released with EM and those without.' Advertisement The change comes after separate laws giving short-term prisoners automatic early release after serving 40 per cent of their sentence, rather than 50 per cent, amid efforts to cut prison populations. Justice Secretary Angela Constance said tagging was a 'well-established part of our justice system which provides structured and managed transition for individuals being released back into the community'. She added: "There is no automatic right to home detention curfew. "Decisions on home detention release are made by the Scottish Prison Service following careful consideration of each case.'
