Punched, kicked and bitten: Third of teachers physically abused by pupils

Report by ITV News Social Affairs Correspondent Sarah Corker and Producer Lottie Kilraine

Bethan Drew was a primary school teacher for 22 years, but last year she quit the job she loved after a pupil kicked her, causing lasting damage.

"I was writing on our little whiteboard and a child had become extremely dysregulated and kicked me in the side," she told ITV News.

"I ended up having damage to my kidney, which has resulted in lots of infection."

Listing some of the other injuries she had suffered in the classroom, Ms Drew added: "I had earrings pulled out and ripped, black eyes where I was headbutted, lots of scratches, lots of bites."

An exclusive survey for ITV News reveals that a third of teachers have been physically abused by a pupil in the last year.

A third of teachers have been physically abused by pupils at school, ITV News Social Affairs Correspondent Sarah Corker explains

Teacher Tapp, a survey app specifically designed for teachers, collected data from nearly 8,000 teachers.

Almost one third (29%) of those surveyed had been physically abused by a pupil, and the majority of physical abuse (44%) took place in a primary school.

Of those surveyed, 60% have been verbally abused by students. The abuse isn’t limited to the classroom or pupils, as 40% of teachers surveyed said they had been verbally abused by parents.

"When I started, violence against teachers in school was really rare, it was an unusual thing," Ms Drew said.

"I was injured lots of days, it was almost the expectation it was going to happen. Coming home everyday and my family seeing me covered in cuts and bruises wasn't great.

"It was a battle because I knew these children weren't deliberately trying to hurt me. I wanted to help them as much as I could, but I just felt in the end I couldn't do what I should have been doing for them because of that.

"I do feel sad that I left, but in the end I have to look after my health."

Violence against teachers is just one of the factors impacting teacher retention, with the number of teachers quitting the profession currently at a record high.

In the last school year alone, almost 40,000 teachers have left the sector, while vacancies have more than doubled since 2010 – with nearly 3,000 posts available.

Teachers on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent went on strike in November 2023 after threats and violence from pupils have made the school "unsafe".

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, behaviour in the classroom has deteriorated, prompting a wave of local strikes across England. Funding pressures and cutbacks have left teachers overwhelmed, and children not getting the help they desperately need.

We showed our findings to Pepe Di’lasio who is the General Secretary of the Association of Schools and College leaders.

"We have definitely seen an increase in poor behaviour since Covid," he told ITV News.

"I think many young people had all their routines and rhythms upset when they returned to school.

"What we've got to do is work with them to better understand why we have these routines, what the rhythms of a school day are, and how it's important that we work together in a society to make sure they can learn - but also so that teachers can do their jobs without being threatened or upset.

Pepe Di’lasio, General Secretary of the Association of Schools and College leaders, told us there has been an increase in poor behaviour since the pandemic

"For many young people, it's about having mental health support because they are exhibiting behaviours as a result of how they are feeling and we need to be able to get to the bottom of that. But at the moment we don't have the specialist support to do that."

There are long delays for ADHD and autism assessments, with some children waiting years for a diagnosis, which is needed to unlock extra funding and support in the classroom. There are also shortages of psychological and specialist support staff, and this has serious consequences in the classroom.

Hannah Abrahams, an Educational and Child Psychologist, told ITV News: "So many children just aren’t getting the support they need because the system is totally overwhelmed.

"I will often speak to parents who have told me they have had their child referred to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) and they are on a waiting list for longer than 18 months to two years.

Hannah Abrahams, an Educational and Child Psychologist, spoke to ITV News

"When you are thinking about that child’s needs not being met, that's also the family's needs not being me and the school's needs not being met.

"This means children are coming into the classroom hypervigilant, overwhelmed, in a fight-or-flight state and not feeling safe.

"That can lead to situations where children are becoming very aggressive, angry, or upset - but there aren't the resources in place to make them feel safe," she added.

Early education minister Stephen Morgan told ITV News he wants to focus on early intervention to support children with specialist needs, but added that reforms are urgently needed across the education sector.

Speaking to ITV News earlier this week, early education minister Stephen Morgan told us he is focusing on early intervention

A spokesperson for the Department for Education told ITV News: "Teachers are central to our mission to break down barriers to opportunity and improve the life chances for all children.

"Nobody should face violence or abuse in the workplace – in particular, our incredible school staff – and we are determined to get to grips with the causes of poor behaviour to ensure every child can achieve and thrive.

“We will tackle this by providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school, introducing free breakfast clubs in every primary, and ensuring earlier intervention for pupils with special needs including with a significant £1 billion investment.”

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