Pupils' behaviour 'has worsened'

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Poor behaviour is now seen as a routine interference when trying to teach, while many teachers say they have experienced health problems such as stress and anxiety because of it.

Almost two thirds of staff have had to deal with a disruptive student for punching (63.4%) or kicking (62.7%) while a quarter (25.7%) said they had to deal with a pupil for spitting, according to a survey by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL).

And 1.5% said they had dealt with incidents of a child stabbing or attempting to stab someone.

The vast majority (95.8%) said dealing with a student had interfered with classwork, with almost nine in 10 (89.8%) reporting low-level disruption such as talking, not paying attention or messing around.

Three-quarters of teachers (77.8%) said they experienced disrespectful behaviour such as pupils using a phone in class and ignoring requests.

Almost a quarter (23.5%) said they had seen pupils being physically violent, either towards the teacher of another student. And a third said pupils swore, threatened or shouted in class.

The problems appear to be worse among younger children, with a third of primary school staff reporting incidents of violent behaviour such as punching and kicking compared to a fifth of secondary school teachers.

One primary school teacher in England told researchers: "A six-year-old completely trashed the staff room, put a knife through a computer screen, attacked staff and we had to call the police. Another six-year-old attacked staff and pupils with the teacher's scissors."