Staff at Northfield Academy balloted over strike action after 'violence against teachers'
The EIS say physical and verbal abuse has become "far too frequent"
Staff at Northfield Academy are being balloted over strike action with violence against staff "far too frequent", according to the Educational Institue of Scotland (EIS).
The union say that the ballot was prompted by "serious concerns over the safety of staff".
EIS Aberdeen Local Association Co-Secretary Heather Collie said: "It is, unfortunately, the case that violence against teachers, both physical and verbal, perpetrated by a very small percentage of pupils, has become far too frequent at Northfield Academy.
"It is for that reason that Aberdeen EIS requested, and the EIS Emergency Committee authorised, a statutory industrial action ballot for our members at the school."
Aberdeen City Council "in denial"
Ron Constable, also Co-Secretary of EIS Aberdeen Local Association, says that the situation could have been resolved "long ago", criticising Aberdeen City Council (ACC) for not acting quicker.
"This could have been solved long ago, something could have been put in place.
"There's just been a series where the authority has been in denial about the issues that are taking place.
"When you have an entire staff signing a grievance to say that they don't feel safe in school, things have to be put in place quite promptly to make sure that their workplace is a safe environment."
A "disappointing" response
"The EIS has attempted to engage with school management at Northfield Academy, and with the local authority, to ensure that our members’ concerns in relation to their safety are properly addressed", added Constable.
"The response has been, to put it mildly, disappointing and this has compelled us to ballot our members for industrial action.
"Aberdeen EIS has already highlighted a range of actions than must be taken to provide a safe working environment for teachers in the school, as well as a range of measures to ensure that any teachers who are subjected to physical or verbal violence are supported properly by their employer.
"A safe place to work is surely not too much to ask for teachers, who simply want to get on with their jobs delivering a quality educational experience for young people."
ACC: "Every staff member and pupil is valued"
ACC have said that they've tried to address the concerns raised by staff.
"Considerable work has been undertaken to address concerns raised by the trade union since the dispute was lodged in June 2022", said a spokesperson.
"Staff have engaged with opportunities to have a greater voice in school improvement and with training to develop their skills and practices.
"Staff welcomed the chance to invest significant time on the development of a refreshed relationships policy last session in collaboration with pupils and wider stakeholders, including the Parent Council.
"The school launched an innovative pilot to support pupils finding it hardest to engage with education, bringing considerable additional staffing resource and expertise to the school.
"Northfield Academy is a school where every staff member and pupil is valued – where inclusion and opportunity are at the heart of education – and we hope to work with trade union colleagues to resolve the issues raised, so we might continue to provide a positive place of learning for all."