Female teacher violence fears

FEMALE teachers are facing more violence and abuse in Scots schools than their male counterparts, a shock new survey has shown.

- By Ross Thomson

Nearly half of all female members of staff in schools across the country were subjected to physical abuse or violence in the past 12 months compared to 36% of their male colleagues. The report, carried out by teaching union NASUWT, found more than a quarter of female teachers reported being hit or punched in the past year more than double the rate of male teachers at 13%.

Furthermore, 20% of women said they had been kicked by pupils compared to just 8% of male teachers. And 12% of female teachers said they had been spat at while just 4% of male staff faced the same form of abuse.

NASUWT said the government must urgently act to shift the "scourge" of misogyny and gender-based abuse directed at women teachers, which it said also affects female pupils.

A secondary school teacher, who asked not to be named, said boys at her school were becoming "hugely impacted" by misogynistic influencers on social media.

She said: "Pupils especially male pupils - have been hugely influenced by misogynistic influencers on social media, people like Andrew Tate, and there is a definite shift in disparaging, disdainful behaviour of boys as young as 12/13 towards female staff.