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Press Releases Archive 2001 January

Headlines Current << January 2001 >> S M T W T F S 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 General Enquiries Tel: 08457 741741 Email: ceu@scotland.gov.uk Enquiries (Press Release Problems) Scottish Executive Media and Communications Group St Andrew's House Regent Road Edinburgh EH1 3DG Email: newswebsite@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

Incidents of Violence Against Local Authority School Staff in 1999-2000 News Release 24 January 2001 A Scottish Executive National Statistics Publication This document is also available in pdf format (298k) download   The results of the annual survey on incidents of violence against Local Authority school staff in 1999-2000, are published today by the Scottish Executive Education Department. Violence, in this context, includes physical violence, verbal abuse and damage to personal property. In August 1997, Local Authorities were asked to begin to report and monitor incidents of violence in schools in Scotland. Information on incidents in primary, secondary and special schools was collected for the first time in Autumn 1998. It is now collected annually each Autumn, and has included reporting on incidents of violence in the pre-school sector since Autumn 1999. The information collected refers to the number of separate incidents reported, rather than the number of individual members of staff involved in at least one incident during the year. The main findings are:- During 1999-2000, the total number of violent incidents reported against Local Authority school staff was 3,083, of which 36 per cent occurred within the primary sector, 29 per cent in the secondary sector, 34 per cent in the special sector and 1 per cent in pre-school centres of education. Around 6 per cent of all incidents were notified to the police. The proportion of incidents reported to the police in special schools is less than half that in primary and secondary schools. The total number of violent incidents recorded per 100,000 pupils was 386. The rate per 1,000 teachers was 61. Over 97 per cent of incidents were recorded as occurring in school hours, with half taking place in the classroom. Sixty-one per cent of the incidents reported involved physical violence. Of these, 21 per cent also involved verbal abuse. Verbal abuse alone made up the majority of the remainder with damage to personal property taking place in under 2 per cent of the incidents. In 90 per cent of all incidents reported, the perpetrator was a current pupil of the school. Where this information was available, 59 per cent of these incidents involved pupils with special educational needs (SEN). In around 7 per cent of all incidents, the perpetrator was recorded as a parent. In total, 83.5 working days were recorded as being lost by school staff as a direct result of the 3,083 incidents of violence that were reported in 1999-2000. However, this total does not include figures for 8 of the 32 authorities, accounting for 35 percent of all pupils, which were unable to provide this information. Incidents of violence against local authority school staff, by sector, 1999-2000 Table 1   Number of incidents Number in which police were notified Total Against teaching staff only Against non-teaching staff only Against both teaching and non-teaching staff Number Per 100,000 pupils Total 3,083 386 2,155 837 91 200 Pre-school centres 35 78 16 19 0 5 Primary schools 1,099 255 710 339 50 78 Secondary schools 900 286 854 43 3 82 Special schools 1,049 12,622 575 436 38 35   Incidents of violence against local authority school staff, by location and time, 1999-2000 Table 2   Number of incidents Total During school hours Outwith school hours Total 3,083 3,007 76 Pre-school centres 35 34 1 Classroom 1,518 1,510 8 Elsewhere in school buildings 1,053 1,031 22 School grounds 340 321 19 Outwith school grounds 137 111 26   Incidents of violence against education authority school staff, by type of incident, 1999-2000 Table 3 Type of incident Number of incidents Total 3,083 Verbal abuse only 1,172 Physical violence only 1,222 Both verbal abuse and physical violence 641 Damage to personal property 48   Incidents of violence against education authority school staff,by type of perpetrator, 1999-2000 Table 4   Type of perpetrator Total Current pupil Ex-pupil Parent Other person Total 3,083 2,773 14 218 78 Pre-school centres 35 28 0 4 3 Primary schools 1,099 913 2 143 41 Secondary schools 900 790 12 67 31 Special schools 1,049 1,042 0 4 3   Incidents of violence against education authority school staff, perpetrated by pupils, 1999-2000 Table 5 Incidents by location Perpetrated by current pupil Total all current pupils With SEN Without SEN Not known if with or without SEN Total 2,773 1,331 939 503 Pre-school centres 28 9 8 11 Primary schools 913 252 398 263 Secondary schools 790 28 533 229 Special schools 1,042 1,042 * * * = not applicable   NOTES TO NEWS EDITORS 1. In June 1997, the then Scottish Office issued a circular (No 5/97) to Local Authorities in Scotland, informing them of a formal requirement to report, record and monitor incidents of violence against school staff. In circular 5/97, an incident of violence was defined as: ‘any incident in which any employee of a school is seriously abused, is threatened or is assaulted by a pupil, parent, member of the public or any other persons in circumstances arising out of the course of his/her employment. This includes physical attack and threatening behaviour with or without a weapon, and intentional damage to personal property’. This reflects the fact that violence is not restricted to acts of aggression that may result in physical harm but incorporates behaviour, including the use of gestures and language, that may cause the victim to become afraid or feel threatened or abused. The Scottish Executive collected and collated information from Local Authorities for the first time in 1998, and again in August 1999 and August 2000. 2. It should be noted that: This is the third year that the survey has been run. The numbers of incidents reported in these 3 years have been: 1997-1998 - 743* 1998-1999 - 1,898 1999-2000 - 3,083 *Information not available from authorities covering 20% of pupils However, it is not valid to make comparisons between these annual totals, since the reporting procedures within Local Authorities are still becoming established. Those Local Authorities which reported the largest increases in the number of incidents of violence against staff this year have indicated that these increases were largely due to improved reporting procedures, and greater awareness of the issues, rather than representing ‘real’ increases. As with all such surveys, there is likely to be an element of under reporting within the overall figures. This factor is expected to diminish with time as the violence reporting procedure becomes more firmly established within each Local Authority. School staff may have different responses to incidents, and despite the definition, what one member of staff may report as a violent incident, another may choose not to report. In reporting the summary information for 1999-2000, there was no requirement for Local Authorities to record separately those multiple incidents that involved the same perpetrator, or whether more than one member of staff was involved. Similarly, incidents perpetrated by more than one person are not recorded separately. Where an incident was notified to the police, this does not imply that this incident was recorded as a crime by them. A pupil with SEN is any pupil with special educational needs who has a Record of Needs, or any other identified special educational needs (including undergoing assessment for possible recording). Note that this categorisation, for the purposes of this survey, is made largely at the discretion of the school. 3. Each Local Authority has established its own system for collecting information about violent incidents from its schools, based on guidelines issued by the Scottish Executive. While work is ongoing to increase consistency in reporting, some of these systems have proved to be more sensitive than others in recording the number of incidents that have taken place. Separate breakdowns of 1999-2000 results are therefore not available for individual Local Authorities due to the different reporting systems used. Figures from different Local Authorities are not generally comparable. 4. This is a National Statistics publication. National Statistics are produced to high professional standards set out in the National Statistics Code of Practice. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure that they meet customer needs. They are produced free from any political interference. Enquiries 5. Public enquiries (non-media) about the information contained in this News Release should be addressed to Dave Sorensen, Statistician, The Scottish Executive Education Department, Area 1A-West, Victoria Quay, Edinburgh EH6 6QQ. Telephone 0131 244 0322 or email dave.sorensen@scotland.gsi.gov.uk 6. Media enquiries about the information in this News Release should be addressed to Fiona Wilson, tel. 0131 244 2910. News Release 24 January 2001 The information contained on this WWW site is Crown Copyright but may be reproduced without formal permission or charge for personal or in-house use. Privacy and Content Disclaimer. For general enquiries about this web site email ceu@scotland.gov.uk or fill out our online questionnaire.