Shetland Unison calls for education overhaul as school staff abused 1,600 times
A union leader has called for an overhaul of the education system after shocking figures revealed more than 1,600 instances of abuse against school staff in two years.
Unison’s Shetland branch secretary Susanne Gens said the problems had been “escalating” despite having been brought to the attention of the SIC’s education and families committee.
Mrs Gens said there was a “significant level of under-reporting” as teachers and support staff had given up highlighting the problems to management because of what they saw as a lack of progress and feedback.
According to figures revealed in a Freedom of Information response to The Shetland Times a total of 1,635 incidents of physical or verbal abuse were made by pupils against staff during 2023/24 and 2024/25.
In the latest academic year it equated to four and a half abusive incidents per school day.
There were also 763 incidents over the two years, which caused staff to be injured, of which a sixth required medical attention.
Speaking to this newspaper, Mrs Gens said the increase in violence and aggression in schools had become “endemic”.
“Unison has repeatedly raised this with all levels of management and the children and families committee repeatedly over the last few years, but despite reassurances to protect staff, the issue is escalating further,” Mrs Gens said.
“[We are] also aware of a significant level of underreporting.
“Members tell us that they are so stretched for time and the lack of feedback from previous attempts to report issues has made them give up on engaging with the system.
“The high turnover in staff and high vacancy levels, further compounds the problem.
“It is long past the time for platitudes and empty promises and high time the education system in Shetland is rebuilt to a level that ensures that pupils achieve their best possible outcomes and staff can do their job without fear of being assaulted or threatened on a daily basis.”
Mrs Gens’ comments were made just a month after a teacher spoke to this newspaper anonymously about their experiences of indiscipline in Shetland schools.
The teacher said the current approach was being derailed by bureaucracy.
A report had been published earlier that week calling for greater disciplinary powers to be given to teachers to control rowdy classrooms.
The Commission on School Reform report urged ministers to “lift the pressure” on headteachers and enable them to take “serious sanctions” against pupils when needed.
Produced by think tank Enlighten the report highlighted an ongoing increase in behavioural problems in schools, with experts warning pupils had an “unthinking sense of entitlement”.
While the report focused on problems throughout Scotland, this newspaper has previously reported on behavioural trends at Shetland schools including serious allegations of bullying, drugs and a “toxic atmosphere.”
SIC children’s services director Samantha Flaws told The Shetland Times this week that keeping staff and pupils safe was of the “highest priority”.
She said any incident involving aggression or injury was “taken very seriously” by her department.
“There are clear procedures which aim to prevent incidents from happening and protocols to follow if an incident occurs, ensuring we learn from what happened,” Mrs Flaws said.
“We have recently introduced new guidance on building positive relationships and promoting good behaviour which is being put into practice across Shetland’s schools.”
Mrs Flaws added that a review was under way to identify where improvements could be made for pupils, teachers and support staff.
EIS Shetland branch secretary Matthew Moss said the teachers union had been working with children’s services to implement an action plan to tackle violence and aggression in schools.
He hoped this would be in place by the summer.
Earlier this month, the council announced its preferred candidate for a newly created senior post of chief education officer.
Fiona Robertson is currently headteacher at Perth Grammar School.
However, she is expected take up the £100k post in the isles during December.
Her remit will be focused on leading “strategic development” across all stages of learning in Shetland schools.
The council said the new chief would also play a “pivotal role” in tackling the current challenges facing education in Shetland.
These include improving attendance and attainment among pupils.