A joint survey by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers and ITV News has revealed the extent of violence faced by staff working in state schools and academies.
Schools have clear powers to tackle aggressive behaviour from both students and parents. However, the extent of the problem revealed by the survey suggests some schools may not be aware of these powers or staff may not have the confidence to use them effectively.
Of the 1560 staff interviewed, 57% and 27% had experienced aggression from students and parents respectively in the last 12 months and over 50% of respondents believe standards of behaviour have worsened in the last 2 years.
Current powers already allow schools to use reasonable force when required, to ban items from classrooms and to ban parents from the school site, so the armoury is well stocked. The focus ought to be on parents changing their behaviour and working with schools to improve that of their children.