Ragging the Teacher: In UK schools 22% pushed, 19% got death threats, 58% verbally abused, many say warned with rape

London: An alarming number of British students have physically assaulted their teachers over the past year, a survey by a prominent teacher’s union has found.

A poll by the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) has revealed that almost half of UK teachers do not feel that the schools they work in have adequately protected them from assaults and that such schools have not implemented policies that monitor students’ behaviour effectively or are “fit for purpose.”

NASUWT recorded the responses of as many as 8,466 teachers across Britain. The survey shows that at least 14 per cent of the respondents reported that they have been subjected to verbal abuse by either their students or parents.

Horrifying cases of biting, kicking, punching, and slapping at the hands of pupils have surfaced in the survey. NASUWT members also said that testimonials by teachers also show how parents have screamed and shouted at teachers in public.

At least 22 per cent of teachers have been pushed, 19 per cent have been threatened to be killed and 58 per cent of teachers have been subjected to verbal abuse.

‘Student said he was going to stab me’

While tales of verbal and physical abuse were most common, many teachers also said that students have threatened teachers to kill their families.

“I regularly had a child that would throw chairs at me, and threaten to kill me and my family. Say he was going to stab me,” said one teacher.

Another recalled, “I was upskirted. I have had an unknown substance sprayed in my face. I have been verbally abused and shoved several times.”

One teacher claimed that she had been “spat at, swore at, pushed, punched and kicked.” She also said that one of her students threatened to rape her.

Union flags concern over safety of teachers

NASUWT said that they are worried about how schools are failing their duties to protect teachers employed under them by either “not completing risk assessments or seeing them as a paper exercise.”

The union added that many in authoritative positions in schools are “not given sufficient guidance in the completion of risk assessments for violent pupils.”

“No teacher should have to go to work expecting to suffer from physical or verbal abuse by pupils,” said Patrick Roach, general secretary of the NASUWT.

He added, “Employers have a statutory duty to carry out effective risk assessments – they cannot simply choose to ignore or underestimate the dangers of violent pupils.”

A spokesperson from the Department of Education said, “No teacher should feel unsafe or face violence in the workplace and we are taking action to improve pupils’ behaviour to ensure every school has a safe and respectable environment.”

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