Attacks on teachers grow

Research conducted by the University of Leicester found most teachers - or 66 per cent - have reported being abused in the past 12 months.

Some were threatened by pupils brandishing weapons, and others by parents, according to the research.

Scroll down for more

While most teachers said they were not concerned about being attacked, nearly one in five said it worried them.

For one third of respondents, the abuse was so severe that they considered quitting teaching because of it.

Teachers were more fearful of having something stolen from them at school, with 48 per cent of those surveyed expressing concern about the issue.

The survey was conducted by a group called Perpetuity, a spin-out from the University of Leicester, and sponsored by security specialists TAC UK.

Criminologist Professor Martin Gill, who led the research team, said: "There was an overall perception of safety and security among most staff.

"But some feel unsafe, and most teachers were victimised in some way, some seriously.

"As they stated in their responses, this can impact negatively on the whole learning experience."

The study also found that 21 per cent of teachers said they had been verbally or physically assaulted by a parent or guardian in the last year while 6 per cent were attacked by an intruder at the school.

The survey questioned 300 teachers and conducted follow-up interviews with other education experts.

The study follows the release of Government figures showing a sharp rise last year in the number of times teenagers have been suspended for disrupting lessons, for verbal abuse or for assault on teachers and other pupils.

Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT teachers' union, said the research highlighted the security problems facing schools.

"Schools need to be vigilant and take appropriate action to tackle the problem of misbehaviour in schools," she said.

"Whilst the study is based on a small sample, it is disturbing that one-third of teachers who responded to the TAC survey said that they had considered quitting their jobs because of a failure by their schools to tackle the problems of low-level indiscipline, abuse and violence by pupils.

"However, it would be inappropriate to infer from this study that schools are 'under siege'.

"In general, schools are relative places of calm and security for children and young people."