Violence and abuse are a growing and serious problem in Scotland’s schools.
It is an issue that both pupils and staff deserve to know that we treat extremely seriously.
That’s why the Scottish Government’s new guidance, launched in Stirling this week, on responding to bullying in the classroom and on the playground is a welcome step.
This behaviour can have a devastating affect on young people and tackling it should be a national priority.
The guideline’s focus on online bullying being treated as seriously as any other form of the behaviour is also welcome.
But any hint of progress was curtailed after The Courier revealed discrepancies in how Dundee City Council records incidents of violence and abuse against its staff in the city’s schools.
We revealed that the city’s schools have a rate of violence some 50 times lower than those in other local authorities.
Only 83 incidents of physical or verbal abuse directed at staff were reported last year, prompting trade union GMB to decry the figure “alarmingly inaccurate”.
Dundee school violence figures ‘simply not credible’
This compares with 1,634 in nearby Perth and Kinross and over 900 in Aberdeen City Council schools – a local authority of comparable size to Dundee.
If we are to tackle this issue then we must first understand it. But as Dundee-based MSP Michael Marra says, the current statistics are “simply not credible”.
Those who are charged with delivering the best education for our children and young people have confidence that their safety is just as important as pupils.
With no official figures to hold any claims of progress to account, what hope is there of tackling the issue?
Story will not disappear because of stonewalled questions
Dundee City Council must get real and explain why its reporting is so out of step with other local authorities.
More importantly, the council must put this right and ensure a robust system of reporting is in place for all staff, including those in the city’s schools.
But despite repeated requests for comment, The Courier’s questions to the council have been stonewalled. No answers about the discrepancy have been forthcoming.
This is unacceptable and the story will not disappear simply because officials maintain silence.
The Courier will continue to scrutinise the issue and ask for an explanation. Those they serve, our readers, deserve it.
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