CRISIS IN CLASSROOMS

SCHOOL support staff are being forced to wear protective clothing amid a 20 per cent rise in “out of control” violence from pupils.

- BY JACKIE GRANT

Union leaders are calling on the Scottish Government to take action after revealing there has been a massive rise in assaults and abuse over the last year.

The GMB said chilling data uncovered via freedom of information laws shows some local authorities have recorded twice as many incidents as in 2023.

GMB Scotland's Keir Greenaway said: “Many support staff no longer get ready for work but ready for trouble.”

And he warned school support staff “can no longer be the forgotten victims in a nationwide and escalating crisis”.

He said: “Our members are being hurt and abused on a scale that would be absolutely unacceptable in any workplace. Any workplace, apparently, but our classrooms.

“Many support staff tie up their hair to stop it being pulled and they are wearing long-sleeved, protective vests beneath their clothes to protect them from scratches and bites.

“That is the daily reality for many of our members, whose fears have been ignored for years while the authorities wring their hands but do little more.”