Teacher who had knife pulled on him gives warning

Steve Mitchell said pupil behaviour is at its worst after having a knife pulled out on him in class

A teacher who had a knife pulled on him by a pupil says classroom behaviour is at its worst in his 20 years of teaching.

It comes as teaching union, NASUWT, says some of their members are worried about going to work as a result of a "serious increase" in poor learning behaviour in recent years.

Latest annual figures show school exclusions have hit record levels in Wales across all measures.

The Welsh government said any form of violence or abuse against staff or pupils was "completely unacceptable" and they were looking at proposals to improve behaviour.

"Behaviour has disintegrated over the last 20 years, you get verbally abused on a daily basis," Steve Mitchell told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

"I've had a knife pulled on me in one class, I've had youngsters ignore me entirely."

There were more than thirty thousand fixed term exclusions - of less than five days - according to school census figures for the year 2022-23 academic year.

The main reasons were verbal abuse, threats to staff and persistent disruptive behaviour, with the rate at its highest in Blaenau Gwent, Torfaen and Denbighshire.

Figures were also far higher for pupils with additional learning needs, including those with attention deficit disorder.

Exclusions for verbal abuse, disruptive behaviour and threats to staff are at an all time high

Mr Mitchell said the issue came down to improper funding and a lack of specialist schools, adding pupils with additional learning needs were being placed in mainstream schools and causing disruption to other learners.

He also put some of the poor attitudes down to the Covid-19 pandemic, suggesting children did not want to return to structure, so standards changed as a result.

"The children have lost a lot of their socialising skills. They don't want to be there, this is a hard battle," he said.

Parents also have a role to play in the disorder, Mr Mitchell added.

"You're fighting on two fronts - kids and parents.

"Teachers are leaving the profession and not being replaced."

The figures were "not surprising" to NASUWT policy officer, Sion Amlyn

The NASUWT union said some of its members faced "verbal abuse, violence and aggression" from pupils.

Sion Amlyn, the union's policy officer, said the figures were not surprising, adding: "Our members are naturally worried about going into their work and thinking about what's going to happen.

"That's not what should happen. You should be allowed to go to work, do an honest day's work, and come home to your family without any horrible incidents having happened."

The Welsh government said any form of violence or abuse against staff or pupils was "completely unacceptable" and bans should only be used as a "last resort."

"Schools should be safe places for learners and staff and all education settings in Wales have a legal duty to provide a safe learning environment," it said.

"We are working with partners to develop proposals to improve behaviour, including possibly holding a summit next year."

Additional reporting by Ben Dain-Smith