The need for more security in schools

(04/07/2007)

New research from TAC has revealed an urgent need for a holistic approach to security in Britain's schools. Two thirds of teachers have been physically or verbally assaulted in the past year with almost 100 per cent being on the receiving end of a torrent of abuse from unruly pupils, according to the TAC School Security Report published today.

The 10-page document makes bleak reading with many staff revealing that they had seriously considered moving schools or even leaving the profession altogether.

The sample of more than 300 teachers was supplemented by interviews with other educational experts, revealed that more men (73 per cent) than women (62 per cent) had been verbally or physically assaulted by a pupil in the last year and in the more extreme cases this took the form of being punched, tripped or kicked. Of those teachers that had been assaulted in some way, ninety-nine per cent of teachers said they had been verbally abused by their pupils with 74 per cent claiming that it occurred regularly, at least once every two or three weeks.

Incredibly, 18 per cent of the teachers who had been victimised had been threatened with a weapon by a pupil on at least one occasion, with three per cent claiming that the threat had been followed through with the use of a knife or a gun in school.

More than 20 per cent of teachers had been verbally or physically assaulted by a parent or guardian, with six per cent falling victim to an intruder in the school.

The majority of teachers (57 per cent) reported that poor pupil behaviour interfered with their ability to do their jobs with more men (69 per cent) than women (49 per cent) arguing that it affected their teaching.

Similarly, the majority of staff (51 per cent) said levels of crime and indiscipline in classes interfered with the pupil's ability to learn.

One third of teachers said they would change school because of violence. Again, more men (42 per cent) than women (35 per cent) said they would consider leaving the profession.

The TAC School Security Report also probed teachers about pupils' experiences of bullying. The study found that more than half of the teaching staff had reported incidents of pupils falling victims to bullying by either kicking or tripping (65 per cent), or pushing, shoving, grabbing and slapping (68 per cent), although the researchers argue that the findings here are likely to be more conservative because of the potential under-reporting of incidents.

Most teachers in the sample (83 per cent) said their schools subscribed to anti-bullying programmes, carried out staff surveillance at break and lunch times (76 per cent) or carried out other strategies to address child indiscipline (71 per cent). More than half of the schools surveyed had isolation or exclusion units. Nevertheless, less than half of teachers said their schools recorded incidents of crime and disorder, thereby making it more difficult to create a meaningful and bespoke anti-bullying strategy.

There were mixed feelings among teaching staff about placing guards or police in schools. Almost 40 per cent argued that guarding would be effective with 30 per cent saying the opposite and a further 30 per cent saying that they were not sure.

Other findings from the TAC School Security Report about crime that occurred during 2006:

* 88 per cent said they reported all or most incidents crime-related incidents
* Two thirds felt that the efforts undertaken by the schools to reduce crime were adequate or more than adequate
* 79 per cent of teachers felt safe in the school, but 26 per cent of women teachers avoided certain areas compared to 18 per cent of men
* 27 per cent of teachers had been assaulted at least once by pupils kicking or tripping them
* 57 per cent of staff had been pushed, shoved, grabbed or slapped by a pupil
* 19 per cent had been bitten or hit with a fist on at least one occasion
* 31 per cent of teachers reported having personal items stolen from them in school
* 10 per cent of teachers reported that students had been threatened with a weapon, at least once per month
* 94 per cent of schools require visitors to sign in and out
* 88 per cent of schools have a strict uniform policy
* 65 per cent of schools use security cameras to monitor behaviour
* 46 per cent control access to school grounds (locked or monitored gates)
* 32 per cent of staff wear badges or identity badges

Richard Strode, Director of Security in Education, from TAC UK Ltd, said: "We asked Perpetuity to undertake this research because we wanted independent and empirical evidence of the true state of security in schools. The findings reveal to us the all too familiar story of schools under siege and underline the importance of security measures and strategies that can minimise the risks to staff and children alike. There are lessons to be learned from this research in terms of schools reviewing their security strategies and sending the right messages to pupils and parents that violence and intimidation will not be tolerated."

"The report makes interesting, if not disturbing reading," said criminologist Professor Martin Gill of the University of Leicester, who put the report together with his team of five researchers during the first six months of 2007. There was an overall perception of safety and security among most staff, but some feel unsafe, and most teachers were victimised in some way, some seriously. As they stated in their responses, this can impact negatively on the whole learning experience," he added.

Related topics:  Physical protection   Safety and protection systems   Surveillance 

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