Teachers are discussing the need for stab vests and bodycams to deal with violence in schools, the head of a teachers’ union has said.
Patrick Roach, general secretary of NASUWT, said there was a ‘serious’ problem of violence in schools, with 40 per cent of teachers witnessing a violent incident.
He told Times Radio that although some teachers were asking for more protection, he felt the issue needed to be addressed with extra support for the children and their families rather than by ‘arming’ teachers.
He said: ‘The reality is that even within the school gates there is a problem of violence around the carrying of offensive weapons. And I know that many teachers are trying to work very hard to address those issues.’
‘Violence, our members said in our behaviour survey, has increased significantly over the course of the last 12 months. 40% of teachers are saying that they have experienced or witnessed physical violent assault in their schools. That’s serious.’
Patrick Roach, general secretary of NASUWT, said there was a ‘serious’ problem of violence in schools, with 40 per cent of teachers witnessing a violent incident
The murder of 15-year-old Elianne Andam on her way to school last week in Croydon, south London , has refocused attention on the issue of youth knife crime
When asked whether teachers were calling for the introduction of stab vests, he said: ‘We have had that being raised. I wouldn’t say that it’s the generality of our members have raised that as an issue.
‘Whether it be stab vests, whether that be bodycams. This is part of a discussion which is taking place.
‘But there’s a dynamic in the relationship between teachers and pupils, which is fundamental, which we don’t really want to change, which is ultimately one which is built on trust, it’s built on mutual respect and we think that’s an important part of the way in which schools should be functioning.
‘If we reduce this to how do we deal with an individual pupil that may be carrying a weapon inside? We need to legislate for that. We need to arm our teachers. We need to give teachers staff vests. We need to give teachers bodycams.
‘What are we doing for the other 29 kids in that class who frankly want to get on with their learning in an environment which they feel is supportive and caring?
‘I don’t think that does any favours for the generality of pupils. What we need is better support for those children and their families who are at risk.’
The murder of 15-year-old Elianne Andam on her way to school last week in Croydon, south London, has refocused attention on the issue of youth knife crime.
A 17-year-old schoolboy has been charged with her murder.
The latest Met Police data shows there have been 652 knife crime offences in Croydon in the 12 months to September, 194 of which resulted in injuries.
The total number of offences in the year to August 2023 is up by nearly 30 per cent compared to the same period last year.
In London as a whole, there have been 13,140 knife crime offences in the 12 months to September – 3,472 of which resulted in injury.
That means there has been a 18.6 per cent rise in total offences in the 12 months ending August 2023 compared to the previous year.
Croydon has seen 1.7 knife offences per 1,000 people this year, putting it ninth in London. The worst hit borough was Westminster, with 3.4 per 1,000.
On Thursday, a 15-year-old boy was sent to youth detention at Bristol Magistrates’ Court for 14 months for stabbing maths teacher Jamie Sansom in July this year at Tewkesbury Academy, in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire.
On Thursday, a 15-year-old boy was sent to youth detention at Bristol Magistrates’ Court for 14 months for stabbing maths teacher Jamie Sansom in July this year
The court heard that the youth had put on a snood and a hooded top to cover his face and taken a six-inch kitchen knife from his home.
Mr Sansom, who has taught maths at the school since 2017, was discharged from hospital on the same day he was attacked and said he was ‘recovering well’.
Today, children’s commissioner Anne Longfield linked a rise in knife offences among pupils to Covid lockdowns.
She told the Telegraph: ‘All of those that work with young people who are in areas of high violence say that the incidents that they see, they used to see once every three months or once every six months, now happen every two or three weeks and they are much more extreme.
‘We know that children who have been exploited or targeted by adults in gangs has increased since the pandemic. We know that knife crime is something that has escalated and it hasn’t gone away.’
A Department for Education spokeswoman said: ‘No teacher should feel unsafe or face violence in the workplace and we are taking action to improve pupils’ behaviour to ensure every school has a safe and respectable environment.
‘Our ongoing £10 million Behaviour Hubs programme aims to support up to 700 schools between 2021 and 2024 in improving their behaviour by partnering them with selected exemplary lead schools and multi academy trusts.
‘Our updated Behaviour in Schools guidance provides advice on creating whole-school cultures which explicitly sets out what good behaviour looks like.
‘This is so pupils can understand and uphold high expectations of behaviour which, in turn, establishes calm and safe environments.’
In London, there have been 13,140 knife crime offences overall in the 12 months to September – 3,472 of which resulted in injury. Croydon has seen 1.7 knife offences per 1,000 people this year, putting it ninth in London. The worst hit borough was Westminster, with 3.4 per 1,000
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