Douglas Lumsden MSP has urged Aberdeen City Council and Scottish Government to do more to support staff and pupils after it was revealed more than 550 violent incidents have occurred across schools in Aberdeen over the last year.
New figures from Aberdeen City Council show 566 violent offences were recorded between April last year and the end of February this year. Around 82% (499) of the incidents took place in secondary schools across the City.
The incidents, obtained through a Freedom of Information request, compare to 2021/22 when more than 800 violent attacks took place in Aberdeen schools.
And in 2020/21 during Covid, there were still more than 400 violent attacks recorded across the school estate in Aberdeen.
It comes after a series of high-profile school incidents across Scotland involving bullying and assaults.
Three teachers and a 14-year-old were hurt in an incident at Johnstone High School in Renfrewshire on Friday while in Aberdeen, the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) last year warned there were serious concerns over the safety of staff at Northfield Academy.
Douglas Lumsden has also been calling for a statutory bullying recording system to be put in place for all schools after it was found that some cases involving pupils were not being logged across Aberdeen.
Commenting on the violent incident figures, he said: “These figures are incredibly concerning and emphasise the growing problem of violence in schools across Aberdeen.
“Pupils and staff alike deserve a safe atmosphere in which to work, and the council, with help from the Scottish Government, must take swift action to tackle and reverse this trend.
“Teachers need to be given the resources they need, as well as greater support for staff, to ensure that there is always a zero-tolerance approach to violence in our classrooms.
“All assaults are unacceptable and it is especially worrying when they occur in schools.
“It won’t be achievable to give every child the best possible start in life unless the council and Scottish Government makes sure that schools are places where both pupils and staff feel comfortable, confident and ready to learn.”
