Exclusion should be ‘last resort’, says Gilruth in new school violence guidance
The Scottish Government has published guidance for schools on how to deal with violent and aggressive behaviour from pupils, following concerns from teachers on the issue.
However the Conservatives dismissed the new material as “waffle”, saying it gives no clear instructions on when and how to exclude violent or disruptive pupils.
In her foreword to the guidance, Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said exclusion should only be used as a “last resort”.
The guidance published on Tuesday says exclusion can be used in response to violence or anti-social behaviour, saying this measure can “allow matters to calm, time for planning, meeting with parents etc”.
Teaching unions and opposition parties have been urging the Government to do more to tackle violence and poor behaviour in schools.
In March, a survey by the NASUWT union found 83% of teachers believed pupil violence and aggression had increased in the last year.
Tory education spokesman Miles Briggs said: “This SNP-issued guidance is a pathetic response to the epidemic of violence in Scottish classrooms.
“Teachers are still being given no clear rules on when and how they can exclude violent or disruptive pupils.
“Jenny Gilruth only mentions it as a last resort. Instead teachers are being fed waffle about eye-contact, hand signals and merits.
“These are utterly insufficient for dealing with the extreme behaviour that we’ve seen recently in classrooms up and down the country.
“Rather than clear rules, this document is full of Holyrood blob buzzwords about multi-agency processes, positivity and inclusion.”
Ms Gilruth said the guidance had been developed with input from headteachers, unions and child psychologists.
The Education Secretary said: “The majority of children and young people behave well in school, but where someone needs support with their behaviour, it is important that schools can respond in ways that are appropriate, supportive and respond to the needs of each individual child.
“Evidence clearly shows young people need structure and boundaries to support their development and having predictable consequences helps them to feel safe.
“We want to create a strong partnership between home and school to help create a consistent, supportive environment where children feel safe, respected, and are better able to learn and thrive.
“This guidance takes account of the concerns about behaviour I have heard from teachers, support staff and teaching unions, and will be an important tool in ensuring that they are properly supported in our schools.”