Scottish teachers launch industrial action after being 'blamed and gaslit' over pupil violence

Staff at Kirkintilloch High School in East Dunbartonshire said they had repeatedly raised concerns but were told their lessons were not exciting enough.

From Wednesday next week, teachers will refuse to cover classes, and will not take trips or activities, as part of industrial action short of strike.

It is the latest evidence of frustration at the lack of meaningful action to address concerns about deteriorating behaviour in schools.

Teachers at the school claim they regularly face swearing and violence, while pupils are allowed to "roam around" corridors when they should be in class, the BBC reported.

Mike Corbett, Scotland national official for the NASUWT teaching union, said: “Members feel blamed and gaslit by management for the poor behaviour of pupils.

“They report being told at debriefing meetings that their lessons are 'not fun or engaging enough'.

“A culture where there are no consequences for poor behaviour is not setting up pupils well for adult life and fails the employers' duty of care towards its staff.”

It is not the first time teachers at a specific school have taken industrial action over violence in classrooms. In 2022, staff at Bannerman High School in Glasgow voted to strike.

Rod McCready, the NASUWT national executive member for East Dunbartonshire, said: "In a school where there is a culture of abuse and violence from pupils, our members are not willing at the present time to put themselves at further risk by taking such classes.”

Ann Davie, the chief executive of East Dunbartonshire Council, said the local authority was aware of the proposed action.

She said: "We have fully engaged with the school management regarding NASUWT staff concerns and we are currently in discussions with the union to try to resolve the issues they have brought forward."

A long-awaited action plan to address school violence was finally published by the Scottish Government in August last year, after a series of summits which discussed issues such as a confusion over exclusions policy and a lack of standardised reporting of incidents.

The document was split set out 20 key actions to be delivered between 2024 and 2027.