Created on: 05 Nov 2024 | Last modified: 06 Nov 2024
As you will know, the EIS has been successful in establishing national acknowledgement by the Scottish Government, COSLA and national education agencies, that there is a national pupil behaviour problem in our schools, and that both teachers and pupils are paying the price.
The EIS has published its route map to address pupil behaviour – with national, local authority and school branch level recommendations.
Scottish Government and COSLA have issued a joint action plan; Relationships and Behaviour in Schools: national action plan 2024 to 2027.
The EIS decided not to endorse the action plan as there were no additional resources linked to it, but it does present an opportunity to address issues and the EIS is part of the Scottish Advisory Group on Relationships and Behaviour in Schools (SAGRABIS) that is monitoring its implementation.
To assist school branches and local associations in gauging progress locally and in feeding into evidence gathering nationally, the EIS has produced ‘Advice in relation to the Behaviour and Relationships in Schools Action Plan’, as a companion piece to the national action plan. This advice highlights key aspects of the action plan which may assist school branches and Local Associations in advancing the EIS Stand Up for Quality Education key campaign aims and recommendations in relation to violence and aggression in schools.
The EIS also continues to collect evidence and data at both national and local levels to support the ‘Pupil Behaviour’ theme of the SU4QE campaign, and to engage with the media on this issue.
Very importantly, many of our Local Associations continue to drive improvements in (pupil) violence and aggression reporting procedures and in the support for teachers who are victims of violence and aggression.
The EIS is also promoting the ‘Health, Safety and Wellbeing’ approach to dealing with violent and aggressive incidents, including greater use of risk assessments, formal reports to the employer, collective grievances/disputes when the employer does not engage appropriately, and reporting violent and aggressive incidents to the police where members are harmed physically or mentally.
The advice that we issued last year on violent and aggressive incidents remains live.