Violence in Welsh schools reaching crisis point, says union

New data from teachers’ union NASUWT Cymru has revealed a deepening behaviour crisis in Welsh schools, with teachers reporting a sharp rise in pupil violence, growing stress levels, and a lack of support from authorities.

The “Violence and Aggression in Schools” reports, based on both NASUWT surveys and Local Authority figures, show that the number of violent incidents in schools across Wales is rising rapidly.

According to the findings, local authorities received 6,446 reports of violent incidents in 2023–24 – up from 4,714 the previous year.

The number of reported violent incidents in schools has more than doubled in just three years.

A survey of teachers found that over a third – 35.5% – had been physically abused or attacked by pupils in the past year.

Verbal abuse was even more widespread, with 92% of teachers experiencing it. Over half of teachers said that fighting was a daily or weekly issue in their school.

Despite the frequency of violence, fewer than half of teachers said they would intervene in a pupil fight due to fears over being caught up in a child protection issue that could put their job at risk.

The findings also point to a wider impact on teacher morale.

Nearly four in five teachers (79%) said abuse from pupils was damaging their morale. Around two-thirds (65%) reported increased stress, and 55% said pupil behaviour had made them consider leaving the profession altogether.

Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary of NASUWT, said: “It is clear that learner behaviour in Wales has reached crisis point. Aggression from pupils is now commonplace in schools.

“Teachers tell us that poor pupil behaviour is negatively affecting their morale, their enthusiasm for the job, and in many cases their health. 55% of teachers in our survey have considered leaving teaching due to poor learner behaviour.”

Dr Roach added that safe school environments should be a basic standard. “If we want to build a world-leading education system, we should not be forced to spend our time fighting for basic rights.”

Neil Butler, National Official for Wales, echoed those concerns, warning that teachers and pupils had been left vulnerable by government inaction.

“We cannot allow violence and aggression to be normalised in school settings,” he said.

“The range of concerning behaviours seen in pupils has expanded to a worrying degree. Teachers report increases in misogynistic abuse, attacks with weapons, and online threats and allegations from pupils that cause severe levels of stress.”

Butler called for a systemic overhaul of the education system in Wales, including more specialist provision and greater investment in mainstream schools to better support pupils with complex needs.

“We now face a moment of reckoning. The Welsh school system must be overhauled to reflect pupils’ increasingly complex needs. We need more specialist education facilities, and mainstream schools require significant resources and funding to put into place robust behaviour policies and increased lower-level support for affected pupils,” he said.

NASUWT Cymru said it is looking ahead to the upcoming Welsh Government Behaviour Summit, where it hopes to push for urgent and comprehensive reforms.