Rise in Violent Incidents Highlights Need for Focus on Health and Safety in Schools

The EIS has said that health and safety must be a priority in schools to ensure a safe working environment for staff and pupils alike.

Recent figures released by each of the EIS, the Scottish Government and the OECD have highlighted the growing number of violent and abusive incidents in schools.

The EIS has also, today, released information on personal injury cases won on behalf of members over the past year, including a number of major violent incident injury awards. The highest award achieved was for a teacher assaulted in the workplace, who received £180,000 as compensation for the serious injury that they suffered.

Commenting, EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said, "Pursuing compensation for teachers injured or assaulted in our schools is never a pleasant task, but it is an area of work where the EIS will always give its all on behalf of our members. No-one deserves to suffer injury or assault in their workplace, which is why local authorities – as the employers of teachers – have a legal duty of care to ensure a safe working environment for all school staff.

"Worryingly, as the rise in violent incidents in recent years can attest, our schools are currently not as safe as they should be for staff and pupils."

Ms Bradley continued, "In previous years, when the EIS reported on personal injury settlements achieved on behalf of teachers, the vast majority would be related to slips, trips and falls in the workplace.

"This year, however, more than 40% of the settlements that we are highlighting were because teachers had been assaulted in their place of work. These cases have resulted in payments of more than £220,000 for the five teachers concerned, with the largest single settlement amounting to a £180,000 payment on account of the very serious injuries sustained by our member."

Ms Bradley added, "Local authorities and the Scottish Government must take urgent action to make our schools properly safe, and to ensure that all staff and pupils can work without fear of assault or injury.

"The EIS campaign Stand up for Quality Education is calling for additional resources for schools, including additional staffing, to allow schools to better meet the needs of all young people, including those who are more likely to exhibit distressed and violent behaviour as a result of unmet additional support needs, and to reduce incidents of violence and aggression in the classroom.

"Local authorities and the Scottish Government must work together to deliver safer schools, so that school staff can work without fear of physical harm for any reason and so that all young people can learn in a safe, secure and nurturing environment."

A list of this year’s injury settlements for EIS members is detailed below.