Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with (a) the Scottish government and (b) the other devolved Administrations on (i) tackling the rise in school violence and (ii) sharing best practice on (A) behaviour management and (B) supporting teachers dealing with (1) disruptive or (2) violent pupils.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is clear that no teacher should feel unsafe or face violence or abuse in the workplace.
The department will always support teachers to ensure they can work in safe and calm classrooms. All school employers, including trusts, have a duty to take reasonable steps to protect the health, safety, and welfare of their employees.
For schools in England, the department expects schools to take immediate and robust action if incidents of violence occur. Any decision on how to sanction the pupil involved is a matter for the school. In the most serious cases, suspension and a permanent exclusion may be necessary to ensure that teachers and pupils are protected from disruption and to maintain safe, calm environments. Should the incident constitute a criminal offence, the school should report it to the police.
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has met representatives from the devolved administrations on a number of occasions including at the UK Education Ministers Council. Whilst behaviour has not been the primary focus of these conversations, different government policies and approaches have been discussed and the department continues to be interested in the approaches taken in the devolved nations.