The Sutton Guardian can exclusively reveal the amount of pupil attacks on teachers has fallen dramatically across the borough.

There were four reported incidents of primary school children assaulting their teachers for the year 2013 to 2014, compared to 34 cases from 2012 to 2013.

From 2011 to 2012 there were 47 recorded cases, which rose from 35 incidents from 2010 to 2011.

The figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request show the amount of attacks from pupils in special schools has also fallen by a huge amount.

For the year 2013 to 2014 there were 19 attacks on teachers, dropping from 37 cases the previous year.

Between 2011 and 2012 there were 70 reported incidents, up from 25 for 2010 to 2011.

In secondary schools the number of attacks has remained at a steady figure, falling somewhere between two and five incidents every year since 2010.

A Sutton Council spokesperson said: “Challenging pupil behaviour is not a regular occurrence but when it does, the council will always support staff as they are the biggest asset for our schools.

"That is why we have provided school-specific, specialised handling training and personal safety advice, which is designed to help deal with incidents before they escalate.

“Our teachers do an excellent job, which has been recognised by Ofsted inspectors, this is part of our commitment to enable them to be the best.”

The figures also show the cases of anti-social behaviour and verbal abuse.

See the tables below for full details. Each year represents the number of incidents over a 365-day period.

 

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