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Teachers blame staff cuts for bad behaviour in schools | Teachers blame staff cuts for bad behaviour in schools |
(about 14 hours later) | |
The EIS teaching union has claimed that cuts in staff are making it harder to deal with bad behaviour in schools. | The EIS teaching union has claimed that cuts in staff are making it harder to deal with bad behaviour in schools. |
The union blames falling teacher numbers, support staff cuts and falling numbers of educational psychologists. | The union blames falling teacher numbers, support staff cuts and falling numbers of educational psychologists. |
One particular concern is that pupils who might be better suited to special schools are remaining in mainstream schools without appropriate support. | One particular concern is that pupils who might be better suited to special schools are remaining in mainstream schools without appropriate support. |
Local authority organisation Cosla said the EIS was not "talking up" the good behaviour of school pupils. | Local authority organisation Cosla said the EIS was not "talking up" the good behaviour of school pupils. |
The EIS is gathering information on indiscipline to get a sense of the extent of the problem but did say it supported keeping children in mainstream education whenever possible. | The EIS is gathering information on indiscipline to get a sense of the extent of the problem but did say it supported keeping children in mainstream education whenever possible. |
'Challenging behaviour' | |
The union found that most incidents were "low-level" in nature, such as talking or texting in class, but that dealing with them could take up far too much of a teacher's time during the school week. | |
EIS general secretary Larry Flanagan said: "Reductions in staffing - including a decline in teacher numbers, deep cuts to specialist support staff, and the fall in the number of professional educational psychologists - are exacerbating the problems that many schools face in supporting pupils who have displayed challenging behaviour. | |
"With teacher numbers falling and class sizes rising, schools and teachers will face an ever-greater challenge in maintaining effective discipline in the classroom. | |
"That is bad news for staff, with indiscipline one of the key causes of stress for teachers, and bad news for the majority of pupils who are keen to learn." | |
The EIS found that the majority of pupils were normally well behaved, but that a "persistent minority" often failed to behave appropriately. | |
It said it was essential for all schools to have effective strategies in place to support teachers as they dealt with poor discipline. | |
On the issue of violence against teachers, it said a swift response was needed. | |
Mr Flanagan added: "Thankfully, serious disruption and violence continue to be a much less common problem than persistent low-level disruption such as talking out-of-turn or texting in class. | |
"However, it is essential that when serious incidents do occur, they are dealt with swiftly and firmly - including police involvement where a teacher has been physically assaulted or placed under severe threat." | |
Reacting to the concerns, Cosla spokesman Douglas Chapman said: "We must remember that over the years the evidence consistently shows that the vast majority of young people in schools are well behaved and eager to learn. | Reacting to the concerns, Cosla spokesman Douglas Chapman said: "We must remember that over the years the evidence consistently shows that the vast majority of young people in schools are well behaved and eager to learn. |
"We are far from being complacent but there is no systematic problem of poor behaviour in Scottish schools. | "We are far from being complacent but there is no systematic problem of poor behaviour in Scottish schools. |
"Cosla jointly chairs with government the national group with responsibility for overseeing policy on behaviour in school. | "Cosla jointly chairs with government the national group with responsibility for overseeing policy on behaviour in school. |
"This group also involves the EIS and other teacher trade unions and, as with government, we are always open to discussing the concerns of teachers." | "This group also involves the EIS and other teacher trade unions and, as with government, we are always open to discussing the concerns of teachers." |
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