A dramatic increase in the number of violent and threatening incidents in Edinburgh’s schools has been revealed by figures from the city council.
In the 2014-15 academic year, there were 111 violent or threatening behaviour incidents across Edinburgh’s primaries and secondary schools. In the 2022-23 academic year this had skyrocketed to 618.
These figures come after the Scottish Government’s latest Research Report into school behaviour showed that almost 2/3rds of Scottish teachers have experienced verbal abuse and 59% have encountered physical aggression.
The number of incidents is higher in Edinburgh’s primary schools, which saw a leap from 242 for the academic year 2021/22 to 487 in 22/23.
High schools have seen a similarly dramatic jump but from a lower base, seeing an increase from 44 incidents in 21/22 to 131 in 22/23.
Commenting on these figures, Lothians MSP Sarah Boyack said: “The dramatic increase in violent and threatening behaviour in schools is extremely distressing.
“No teacher deserves to face violence or abuse in their classroom.
“The Council and school staff are doing a great job with the resources they have, but its clear more is needed to tackle this issue.
“Investing in pupil support will help us to tackle many of the root issues that cause disruption. We must also ensure that schools equip teachers with the necessary support if they are facing violent behaviour.
“Violence and threatening behaviour are not part of a teacher’s job, and it must be the Education Secretary’s top priority to tackle it.”
The data, acquired by FOI from City of Edinburgh Council is below:
| Academic Year | Primary Schools | Secondary Schools | Total number |
| 01/08/2014 to 30/06/2015 | 104 | 7 | 111 |
| 01/08/2015 to 30/06/2016 | 112 | 7 | 119 |
| 01/08/2016 to 30/06/2017 | 199 | 7 | 206 |
| 01/08/2017 to 30/06/2018 | 178 | 15 | 193 |
| 01/08/2018 to 30/06/2019 | 292 | 37 | 329 |
| 01/08/2019 to 30/06/2020 | 17 | 24 | 41 |
| 01/08/2020 to 30/06/2021 | 129 | 4 | 133 |
| 01/08/2021 to 30/06/2022 | 242 | 44 | 286 |
| 01/08/2022 to 30/06/2023 | 487 | 131 | 618 |
The Scottish Government Behaviour in Schools Research Report can be found here:
https://www.gov.scot/publications/behaviour-scottish-schools-research-report-2023