School support staff in Aberdeen schools have described a terrifying catalogue of violence and abuse from pupils as union leaders demand urgent protection.
Pupil Support Assistants (PSAs) in city classrooms told GMB Scotland how they have been kicked, punched, spat on, bitten, headbutted and sexually assaulted.
Staff have endured threats of violence and verbal abuse from children as young as five.
At least one has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after being repeatedly assaulted.
Another had their nose broken by a pupil, while a colleague is waiting for an MRI scan for a wrist injury.
A GMB survey of staff revealed how tables and chairs are regularly overturned or thrown while foul-mouthed verbal abuse is routine.
One staff member told how she and her colleagues had to start wearing hats because a pupil was pulling their hair out by the roots.
She added: “Once he pounced on me and took hold of the back of my head and pulled me down to the ground.
“It took four staff to try to distract him and pry his hands loose, but meanwhile he was pushing me away with his foot and pulling my head the opposite way.
“He then bit me on the head and pulled a whole chunk of my hair out.”
Whipped by plastic cables and punched in the face: escalating pupil violence in Aberdeen schools
Another said she is covered in bruises while a colleague has been left with permanent bald spots after her hair was pulled out.
One PSA said she is receiving counselling and is on medication for stress and anxiety after being attacked by a first-year pupil.
She said: “I am still struggling to go into work every day. Even now most classes are awful with table and chairs being upturned. I ask them to stop, as does the teacher, but when I try phoning for help, nobody comes.
“I do love doing my job when the children are keen to get help, but it can be an awful place to work. I’m very scared.
Another said: “I have personally been punched in the face, kicked, hit with objects, had chairs thrown at me, had rocks thrown at me.
“I have been touched inappropriately by a child. I’ve been grabbed around the neck. I have witnessed other staff being repeatedly hit and kicked, hair pulled.
“I’ve seen colleagues being whipped by plastic cables, plastic skipping ropes.”
64% see or suffer abuse daily
GMB Scotland’s survey of support staff in Aberdeen schools revealed a harrowing daily toll of violence and abuse.
Almost every pupil support assistant (98%) has witnessed or suffered violence or verbal abuse.
Three out of five (64%) said they see or suffer verbal and physical abuse on a daily basis, while a third (31%) say it happens every week.
Seven out of 10 (73%) say they do not feel safe at work, with 82% claiming they are not being given enough protection.
The survey comes after teachers in Aberdeen spoke of enduring violence and verbal abuse in schools.
But Sean Robertson, GMB Scotland organiser in Aberdeen, said support staff, who help pupils with additional needs, are often at even greater risk.
‘Staff are going to work in fear’
He said the survey of more than 100 pupil support assistants only confirms the scale of the crisis and the need for urgent protection for staff.
“Our members are bearing the brunt of this crisis of violence in our schools and deserve every possible protection,” said Mr Robertson.
“No-one should be expected to go to their work in fear and arrive home relieved if they have not been verbally or physically abused that day.
“Aberdeen City Council needs to accept the scale and urgency of this emergency and ensure our schools are safe for staff and pupils.
“There must be specialist training for staff in how to deal with dangerous incidents, and better reporting procedures, with workers being encouraged and given the time to detail what has happened.
“If these incidents are not even being reported, they cannot be investigated and nothing will change.”
Many support staff said management do not understand the scale of the crisis, because victims are not given time or encouragement to report incidents. Meanwhile, they say, many of the incidents that are reported lead to little or no action being taken.
Last year, a GMB Scotland survey of almost 800 school support staff, across janitorial, catering, admin cleaning, and classrooms, revealed 68% of workers fear the crisis has worsened over the last three years.
Union now wants action, not words
Keir Greenaway, GMB Scotland senior organiser in public services, attended a series of emergency summits called by the Scottish Government.
But he said action to protect staff will count more than words.
He said: “The failure of management to properly protect staff, reassure them this crisis is being taken seriously and deliver effective training and reporting procedures is alarming.
“No one should go to work expecting to be punched, kicked, bit, and spat on. No-one should go to work expecting to suffer verbal abuse.
“Staff need to know that every possible measure will be taken to protect them from violence. And that, if it still occurs, the most robust, practical procedures are in place to ensure effective action.
“This is a national emergency and ministers and education authorities must take emergency action.”
The survey showed almost half, 47%, of support staff do not believe local authorities take violence against workers seriously. And 63% have had no training in de-escalating potentially violent situations.
It suggested two-thirds of incidents are never recorded, while three out of four say they receive no feedback if they do report an incident.
Aberdeen City Council were contacted for comment.
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