LATEST figures from the Department of Education in Northern Ireland show assaults on teachers increased threefold in just one year.
For the school year 2015/16, there were 646 suspensions for physical attacks on staff, up from 213 the previous year.
Of the 646 attacks, 110 were carried out by girls – over six times the number in 2014/15 (18).
Chris Keates, General Secretary of teaching union the NASUWT, said the figures were shocking but not surprising, adding that they received many reports of assaults taking place in primary school.
He said: “These figures are deeply shocking but regrettably not all that surprising as it reflects what our members are reporting to us; that they are being assaulted and threatened with violence by pupils, many still in primary school.
“No teacher or other worker should go to work with an expectation that they should tolerate violence and abuse.”
Total primary school suspensions rose from 218 in 2014/15 to 263 the following year, a 20 per cent increase.
'Teachers reporting assaults daily'
The union’s National Official Northern Ireland, Justin McCamphill, said budget cuts are compounding the problem.
"The NASUWT is being inundated with teachers who are reporting assaults that are happening to them on a daily basis,” he said.
“Any discussion of violent and disruptive behaviour in schools has to be put in the context of the budget cuts that are happening in Northern Ireland which is a significant contributing factor.
“Schools are losing the specialist support that they did have to work with vulnerable younger people, class sizes are getting bigger and there are not enough resources being put into supporting pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN).
“Many young people who should have dedicated support to help them in the classroom have seen that support withdrawn.
“Schools should be havens of peace but in too many discipline is breaking down.”
The latest suspension figures also revealed the number of pupils suspended for alcohol abuse had doubled.
A total of 25 suspensions (12 male, 13 female) were imposed in 2014/15 for the offence, but this rose to 49 for 2015/16 (26 male, 23 female).
The total number of suspensions rose by 880 to 7,708.
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