Exclusive:'Teaching is supposed to be hard': Education expert on rising Scottish school violence

The Scotsman has today shared a diary written by an experienced senior teacher working in the city, which claims restorative justice is causing “immense damage”.

Writing anonymously, they claim abusive behaviour is being ignored, pupils are misusing “anxiety passes to walk out of class early, and lax security is leading to violent incidents.

They have written a diary of a “typical week” to illustrate what they claim is the reality of life in Scottish classrooms.

It follows a report by the Commission on School Reform, which said teachers should have the disciplinary powers to exclude pupils with challenging behaviours. The report was produced against a backdrop of rising incidents of pupil violence in Scottish schools.

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The teacher writes: “The system is currently based on trauma-informed and restorative practices. Not only are these not working, they’re causing immense damage. To challenge those ideological sacred cows is to admit their ineffectiveness and we don’t have brave or visionary leadership prepared to do that.”

Maureen McKenna, who was director of education for Glasgow City Council for 13 years, introduced trauma-informed and nurture practices in the city after taking up the post in 2007.

She has since gone on to work as a consultant with the Violence Reduction Unit in London, sharing knowledge of policies that transformed classrooms in Glasgow.

Recent figures obtained by Channel 4 News suggested violence is occurring in Scottish schools at a rate higher than that of England and Wales.

Ms McKenna suggests this may be a result of differences in incident recording.

She said: “It made Scotland appear absolutely horrific by comparison with England, but actually I think it might be as simple as recording.

“Multi-academy trusts in England are not the same as local authorities. They are so competitive, so in England it’s not in their interests to record everything, whereas up here, we do openly record it.”

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Ms McKenna went on to give an example of probing reports in Glasgow schools and discovered a cheese sandwich being thrown at a teacher recorded as a physical assault. While she acknowledged this was unpleasant and unacceptable behaviour, it was perhaps the sort of incident that might not have been officially recorded elsewhere.

Restorative justice, she said, does work, but the “formulaic approach” and “structured” approach used in some schools is not suitable for young people.

“For restorative approaches to work, you really have to do it in the moment, as the incident happens,” Mc McKenna said. “Some of the restorative practices have become a little bit over-formulaic. It does work, but it has to be done as part of a whole school approach.”

Under her stewardship, using trauma-informed and restorative justice methods, fixed-term exclusions dropped by 90 per cent in Glasgow over a period of 14 years.

Ms McKenna said: “The difference is, in Glasgow, how we as adults react to the children. There are a range of approaches and restorative practices, and they they are just one tool in your tool bag, not what you hang your coat on.

“Teachers, staff are continuing to make an incredible difference. Attainment has stayed high. But it's not supposed to be easy.”

Ms McKenna has given advice to the Scottish Government on tackling violence in schools and said she believed investing in an increased workforce was vital. She suggests blended staff teams of both teachers and youth workers from the third sector.

The former head teacher added: “I'm not sure with modern young people and the experiences that they've had post-pandemic, that necessarily teachers are always the right people with the right skill set to help engage young people.”

Brianna Kennedy, professor of education at the University of Glasgow, said restorative justice had positive outcomes when resources were in place to support teachers to commit to the practice effectively.

“One of the reasons that we see that it doesn’t work is because there isn't really time,” she said. “You’re trying to preach these approaches in a context where the curriculum feels like it is just a vice grip. Teachers are scrambling to figure out how they're going to fit in the content they feel they need to fit in.

“And they're right when they say there's no time.”

In their week-long diary, the Glasgow teacher describes being told repeatedly to “f**k off” by pupils when making reasonable requests. They claim in a class of 27, only three pupils turn up on time and they have to ask for quiet 47 times.

Young people, they go on to say, are not expected to wear uniform or bring stationary due to “social justice” issues and says restorative justice is a “flawed and damaging approach”. They say pupils from another school enter their building to target a young person and a pregnant teacher is knocked over in the resulting scrum.

Carole Ford, a former head teacher and now member of the Commission on School Reform, said: “This diary is difficult and distressing to read, but it’s critical that we shine a light on what is happening in schools around the country.

“You can’t fail to read this and feel deflated on behalf of the teachers and of the children who want to learn. This is not inevitable - we can reverse it.

“However, in order to do so we need much improved government guidelines, so that schools have the authority and the sanctions at their disposal to address the issues bedevilling them.”

Prof Kennedy also insists restorative justice is an effective system, but adds: “If you try to urge teachers and systems to do restorative practices without resources, you get situations where the expectations are too low and the learning isn't happening.

“There's validity to that perspective, but it really comes from a resource-poor context.”

A spokeswoman for Glasgow City Council said the local authority could not give clarity on specific incidents without knowing the school name.

However, the spokeswoman said: “No one should be this unhappy in their workplace.” The teacher was urged to contact their senior leadership team for support.

The council spokeswoman added: “There is also little or no context within the piece that gives any understanding to a young person’s personal circumstances and why they may have behavioural issues.

“Glasgow’s renowned nurturing approaches, ethos and continued professional development have equipped school staff with the skill sets to manage difficult situations that do arise in a school setting.”

The spokeswoman said that post-pandemic schools had seen a rise in challenging circumstances and erratic attendance, but “sweeping generalisations of our young people is not helpful or accurate”.

She said: “Many of our schools have also received praise this year from inspectors highlighting calm and purposeful learning environments where our children and young people flourish and this is down to the dedication of the majority of our teachers and school staff who are committed to Glasgow’s pupils.”

A EIS spokeswoman said: “As with most declarations by those who claim to have all the answers and to be acting in the name of 'reform', these claims present a deliberately simplistic view of the reality of life in schools and the diverse challenges facing young people across the country.

“As a responsible and progressive organisation, which represents more than 80 per cent of Scotland's teachers, the EIS will continue to engage constructively with the Scottish Government and local authorities to improve discipline and enhance the learning and teaching environment in our schools.

“This will be achieved not through politicised or self-aggrandising statements, but by genuine collegiate engagement between government, employers, teachers, young people and their families and carers.”