Labour’s Pam Duncan Glancy and SNP Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth.
By Lucy Ashton
Despite warm words in the Scottish Parliament and to trade unions, the SNP/Green government has entirely failed to discuss the serious issue of classroom violence at the cabinet level, it has been revealed.
A Freedom of Information request has found plainly that: In response to both of your questions, between 21 May 2021 (the date of the first Cabinet meeting after the Scottish Parliament election on 6 May 2021) and the date of this Freedom of Information request 19th April 2023 there is no record in the Cabinet minutes of a discussion of violence in schools.
This means that while trade unions, parents and teachers raised the alarm, the SNP/Green government failed to discuss the issue at cabinet meetings for almost two years.
While the government has now launched a summit on violence in schools, no opposition parties were invited to attend.
A NASUWT survey found that 93% of teachers in Scotland who responded said that pupils exhibiting physically violent and abusive behaviours has increased in the last 12 months.
Today, Scottish Labour has demanded action to protect teachers, staff and pupils – not more warm words.
Pam Duncan-Glancy said: “This FOI reveals that while teachers and parents were raising the alarm over violence in schools, the SNP-Green government couldn’t even to be bothered to discuss the issue at the cabinet table.
“While some pupils and teachers were desperate for safe classrooms, the SNP government and successive education secretaries turned their back on them.
“Teachers and pupils don’t want warm words from Jenny Gilruth – they need real action now to tackle violence in all its forms in the classroom.”