Staff ‘punched, kicked and spat at’ as aggression rises in Barnsley schools
Unions are worried about more and more staff being abused
Last updated 2nd Jan 2018
We're hearing school staff in Barnsley are being kicked, spat at and abused on a daily basis - and it's getting worse.
Unions say they’re really worried about a rise in physical and verbal abuse being aimed at teachers and other staff in schools in the town.
UNISON, GMB, the National Education Union and the NASUWT are now all surveying their members to find out the true scale of the problem.
Fiona's a support worker at a school in Barnsley – we’ve changed her name to protect her identity.
She says the situation’s getting worse and worse and she was even once faced with a student with a knife:
"All of a sudden the door flew open and one of the students pointed the knife at me. It was pure shock to be honest - it's not until after when you think...she pointed at me, she could have lunged at any point. And then I thought - what would I have done?
"I've seen more weapons, knuckle-dusters, we've had knives and lasers. And now the kids are a lot more aggressive - they'll push past you know whereas years ago they wouldn't. They'll barge you out of the way and lash out at members of staff."
Stats from Barnsley Council show a rise in incidents of aggression in schools across the town – with 132 reported last school year.
Fiona says she’s been working in schools for 13 years and has never seen it this bad:
"The aggression's got worse - with students throwing things, throwing chairs, smashing doors, punching and kicking windows through and door panels. It's got a lot worse - the actual damage to schools is astronomical.
"I do think a lot is down to bullying and social media. I've seen it where they've fetched weapons in because they're mad at someone and it seems they can't relate their feelings. They can't cope with anger. If they're not getting the emotional support at home it snowballs out of control."
Barnsley Council say they have a zero-tolerance approach to attacks and abuse on their staff.
But Ben Harvey, from Barnsley UNISON, says something needs to be done:
"Some of the feedback we're getting is very concerning - our members being spat at, punched, kicked, shouted at - it's not acceptable. People are going into work scared. They don't know what's going to face them. A lot of the time these are recorded, the forms are completed, but it's happening again.
"It seems to vary between school to school. Some seem to be better at handling it than others but something does need to be done about it and we're working closely with Barnsley Council to try and get the issue addressed - making sure staff are reporting incidents."
Cllr Tim Cheetham’s the Cabinet Spokesperson for People (Achieving Potential) at Barnsley Council:
“Barnsley Council has a zero tolerance policy towards attacks and abuse of our employees and has taken a firm line on enforcing it.
“There is a statement outlining this commitment displayed in most work places and there are clear policies for all employees and managers to follow in reporting and dealing with incidents of unacceptable behaviour towards them.
“We would encourage all schools, local authority maintained or otherwise, to adopt and enforce the same zero tolerance policies to protect their employees at work.”