Educators in fear of classroom reprisals

ONE in three violent offences in Scotland is committed by children - with attacks on teachers blamed for the massive rise.

- BY NORMAN SILVESTER

IN THE past two years, the Record has highlighted the growing problem of teacher attacks and youth violence as part of Our Kids ... Our Future campaign.

In June we reported how a pupil who left a teacher scarred for life walked free from court.

Kieran Matthew, 18, dumped Carol Shaw headfirst 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 and was being educated outside mainstream classes, lashed out after refusing to get changed alone.

He was told 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

SCENE St John's in Dundee

May 2023, a teacher was left lying on a corridor floor at Taylor High School in Motherwell after he was allegedly attacked by a pupil.

A 13-year-old male was charged in connection with the incident.

That same month, we told of a primary school teacher who was attacked in a classroom and left with a life-changing disability and unable to hold his baby.

The man, who asked not to be named, said 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.”