STAFF in Scotland's secondary schools are being subjected to violence and abuse from pupils who are also increasingly distracted by mobile phones and social networks, a Scottish Government report has revealed.
An increase in sexism, as well as verbal and physical aggression, combined with the proliferation of smartphone use among young people in classrooms, have created mounting problems for school workers.
The Behaviour in Scottish Schools 2012 report found 35% of secondary headteachers and teachers had been subjected to such behaviour in the past 12 months, an increase from 2006.
The study also found the use of mobiles had increased considerably in secondary schools since 2009, with staff describing it as a frequent and distracting influence.
Secondary headteachers felt pupils using them against school policies "had the greatest negative impact on staff's experience at school".
The most common disruptive behaviours included threatening remarks and physical aggression, such as pushing or squaring up, although assaults on headteachers had increased slightly.
While the report does not highlight the reasons for the increases in unruly behaviour, teachers reported concern about the increasing number of children entering school with complex problems.
It said: "In both primary and secondary sectors, there was concern about a perceived increase in the incidence of severe mental health issues, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autistic spectrum disorders. Staff found the behaviour of these pupils to be particularly challenging."
However, the employees who responded felt overall behaviour had improved and the most significant concerns centred on low-level disturbances.
Ken Cunningham, general secretary of School Leaders Scotland, which represents secondary headteachers, said: "Schools have come a long way in dealing with these issues and creating a culture which allows learning to continue to take place positively, but support for staff experiencing this does vary across the country and all councils need to take this very seriously."
Larry Flanagan, general secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland union, said: "This unacceptable behaviour by a small number of pupils continues to blight the working lives of teachers and damage the educational experience for the vast majority of pupils who are well behaved and eager to learn.
"Verbal abuse of teachers in the classroom, together with other types of unacceptable behaviour such as misuse of mobile phones in school or a refusal to follow instructions, are persistent problems that take up far too much of a teacher's time during the course of the school week.
"Thankfully, serious disruption and violence are a less common problem than persistent low-level disruption such as talking out of turn or texting in class."
Dr Alasdair Allan, the Minister for Learning, said the study showed teachers found the majority of Scottish pupils were well-behaved.
He said: "These positive trends reflect the dedication and commitment shown by schools to focus on promoting positive behaviour and improving relationships.
"When these findings are considered alongside the 40% drop in exclusions since 2006, we see that behaviour is continuously improving in our schools."
However, the education spokeswoman for the Scottish Conservatives described the figures as a "shocking indictment of poor discipline" in many schools.
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