Aggressive pupils are a major issue. Research last term from the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (involving 1,560 of its members) reported that half the teachers surveyed had suffered verbal abuse, including threats and intimidation, in the past year. A quarter of them had been physically assaulted.
This is unacceptable. Solutions generally propose better classroom management, a change in school culture (and so forth), or a new “super-head” – and sometimes such changes do have some effect.
But the implication that classroom violence is simply a reflection of failures in school management is absurd.
The evidence points to changes in society at large as the main culprit. Respect for teachers (and other professionals) has collapsed across the board. Where bad behaviour was once a source of shame, it is now more acceptable, if not encouraged in some contexts.
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