Pupil support, classroom assistants and playground supervisors have been subjected to more than 300 attacks in the last year.
Shock figures show 341 incidents of aggression against support staff were recorded in Moray during the last academic year.
Last night, council chiefs revealed the figure had actually fallen from the previous year, when 513 violent episodes were recorded.
Moray Council recognised there is “work still to be done”, but said the fall was a “step in the right direction.”
The authority pointed to the rapid response team, which is tasked with investigating incidents to stop them happening again, for helping to drive down the figures.
Union bosses have welcomed the drop but believe the figures mask the “severity” of some incidents.
Fears have also been raised that staff may also become more vulnerable as budgets come under pressure.
Yesterday, Tim Eagle, chairman of Moray Council’s children and young people’s committee, praised the work to reduce the total.
He said: “Some of our staff work in very difficult areas where physical violence can be a regular occurrence, such as with pupils with several additional support needs.
“Incidents like this are not because the pupils are bad, but it is a way of them communicating how they feel. Staff will always work to reduce violence in schools and give every available support to pupils.
“Teaching and support staff are never complacent and the council will continue to work hard to monitor and support schools as best we can where issues emerge.”
Mr Eagle highlighted that “better recording” of the incidents could lead to trends being monitored more closely to identify patterns.
Figures released by Moray Council under freedom of information rules revealed that pupil support assistants bore the brunt of the violence.
The staff, which work with children with specialist learning or mobility needs, were subjected to 317 aggressive incidents during 2016/17 – a drop of nearly 150 from the previous year.
Classroom assistants reported 21 incidents while lunchtime and playground supervisors accounted for three attacks.
Suzanne Wright, branch secretary of Moray Unison, said: “We continue to be approached by members who have been on the receiving end of bad behaviour and unfortunately in some cases, violence.
“Some members feel unsupported in school, leading to increased levels of stress and poor morale.
“Our concern going forward is that as school budgets come under greater pressure, support for the most challenging pupils will be less forthcoming and our members, who are the frontline support for such students, will be increasingly exposed to violence in the workplace.”
A Moray Council spokeswoman said: “We’ve a team that responds to reports of violence and aggression against staff in our schools.
“They look at the incidents and try to identify triggers, and how to mitigate these to reduce the risk of recurring incidents.
“While we welcome the reduction of reported violent and aggressive incidents towards support staff, particularly pupil support assistants, we recognise there’s still work to be done.
“This is a step in the right direction and one which we’re looking to continue.”
