There’s increased violence in our schools. Students stood down or suspended for physically assaulting staff or students is on the rise. Some schools even have “fight clubs”. What’s the cause, and what are the solutions? Is family breakdown the underlying cause? What about the influence of social media?
“The number of students stood down or suspended for physically assaulting staff or students has increased 66 per cent in the past 11 years – and teachers are reporting dealing with more instances of violence than in the past.”
Ministry of Education data shows 8251 students were stood down or suspended for attacking their peers in 2022 compared with 4935 in 2012.
Amy Wiggins for NZ Herald:
The number of students stood down or suspended for physically assaulting staff or students has increased 66 per cent in the past 11 years – and teachers are reporting dealing with more instances of violence than in the past.
Two teachers at Epsom Girls’ Grammar School were last week injured in a violent attack by a student.
A witness said they saw a Year 9 student punch one teacher in the face and kick the other.
Principal Lorraine Pound told the Herald neither teacher was seriously hurt, and both were back at work. The girl is no longer a student at the school.
But Epsom Girls is not the only school that has faced the issue this year. Ōkaihau College in Northland had a “fight club” and Howick College parents claimed students were beaten up every day.
Ministry of Education data shows 8251 students were stood down or suspended for attacking their peers in 2022 compared with 4935 in 2012.
Of those suspended, 314 were excluded or expelled last year – a 50 per cent increase since 2012.
The same figures show 993 students were stood down or suspended for physically assaulting staff in 2022 compared with 642 in 2012.
Of those suspended, almost 70 were expelled or excluded – fewer than in 2012.
The largest increase was in the number of stand-downs which went up 71 per cent over the time period.
The Ministry of Education said it was important to note the data was not a measure of student behaviour but a measure of a school’s reaction to such behaviours.
“What one school may choose to suspend for, another may not.”
But, teachers say the amount of violence they deal with at school has definitely increased over the last 10 years – and they need more support to deal with it.
Read full article here.
