Waid Academy assaults raise concerns of violence in schools

A video of an attack on a girl at a school in Fife has raised concerns about the issue of violence in schools.

On Monday, a schoolgirl was assaulted at Waid Academy in Anstruther – with a video capturing the moment a fellow student punched and kicked her in the head and body in the middle of a busy classroom.

Police Scotland said they are investigating this, as well as another incident involving pupils, at the school.

Waid Academy’s headteacher, Scott Duncan, said they are working with local community police.

Mr Duncan added: “I have written to parents to reassure them about our processes and more importantly about the experience young people have at our school.

“When incidents of fighting are reported to us they are fully investigated and we have very robust policies and procedures in school to deal with this kind of behaviour. Appropriate and proportionate consequences are always put in place.”

He said that the incidents were not indicative of the vast majority of pupils at Waid Academy.

The attack was condemned by local politician Willie Rennie in the Scottish Parliament.

At First Minister’s Questions, the North East Fife MSP called the footage of the attack an “ugly scene” that he couldn’t get out of his head.

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