A new study will seek to identify the causes of violent and aggressive behaviour in Scottish schools.
Figures show over 80% of schools experience violent and aggressive incidents weekly, with a study by the NASUWT union earlier this year revealing 44% of Scottish respondents have experienced physical abuse or violence in the last 12 months while 90% had been verbally abused.
The University of the West of Scotland will conduct a study to identify the reason behind violence in schools, early learning and childcare settings.
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Funded by the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), the research team from the Division of Education is led by Professor Moira Hulme and includes Dr Carole Bignell, Dr Conny Gollek, Dr Susan Henderson-Bone, and Julie Isdale.
The £29,000 project will run from November 2025 until May 2026.
Professor Moira Hulme said, “The study will employ innovative mixed method approaches to develop deeper understanding of the underlying causes and contributing factors of violent and aggressive behaviours.
“This award reinforces UWS's reputation for impactful education research and our commitment to addressing real-world challenges facing Scottish education.”
Andrea Bradley, EIS General Secretary, said, "The significant rise in the number of incidents involving violent and aggressive behaviour in our schools in recent years, a large proportion of which is prejudice-based, is deeply troubling.
“No teacher should be exposed to the threat of verbal abuse or physical assault during their work; and no pupil's safety or sense of security and belonging should be undermined by such behaviours by pupils towards school staff or their peers.
“It is essential that we can have an understanding of the issues facing young people and the potential drivers of such challenging behaviour in the classrooms, corridors and playgrounds of our schools, so that we can continue working to try to ensure that all schools are safe places to work and to learn, for the safety and benefit of staff and pupils alike."
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