Nicola Sturgeon says there should be “zero tolerance” of abuse against teachers, after a survey revealed the scale of the issue in Aberdeen.
Almost half of teachers in the Granite City are considering quitting after being subject to “high levels” of physical and verbal abuse.
The EIS teaching union asked more than 600 of its members to share their experiences in a major survey.
It reveals almost half have considered leaving the profession as a result of the abuse they have faced.
North-east Conservative MSP Liam Kerr raised the survey’s findings during First Minister’s Questions on Thursday.
He asked the SNP leader to outline the pro-active steps being taken to “stem this appalling tide of abuse to our dedicated and hardworking teachers”.
In response, Ms Sturgeon said the Scottish Government will “continue to support the well-being and the safety of our teachers working with local authorities who of course are the employers of teachers to do that”.
She added: “But frankly all of us, regardless of political differences should unite to say that any abuse or attacks on teachers or anybody else working in our public sector, is completely unacceptable and we should all show complete zero tolerance towards that.”
Being punched (36.9%) and kicked (40%) were the main forms of assault in the city’s schools.
Union bosses said the poll results highlight the “severe stress” their members are under and make for “very worrying reading”.
Mr Kerr later added: “These figures are incredibly concerning and emphasise the worrying predicament teachers are faced with on a regular basis.
“It’s clear to see the cuts imposed on councils by the SNP Government are having a negative impact on both staff and pupils.
“Teachers need to be given additional support to ensure they feel safe to carry out their duties in the classroom but not enough is being given.”
Councillor Yvonne Allan, convener of staff governance for Aberdeen City Council, previously said the “safety and wellbeing of staff and pupils in our schools is the utmost priority for Aberdeen City Council”.
She said the local authority and teaching union have “worked positively together to create a new incident reporting process” but there is still “work to do”.