According to a report in The Telegraph, teachers in Yorkshire primary schools have been on the receiving end of considerable violence at the hands of their young pupils.
Confirming this startling revelation, information obtained through the Freedom of Information act revealed that the number of children suspended for these types of attacks has increased from 396 in the school year 2011 / 2012 to 623 last year.
It has been established that information, which was disclosed to the BBC by local authorities in North, West, South Yorkshire, indicates there has been a rise in the number of children carrying out attacks against teachers - incidents which include head-butting and biting.
According to the report, 20 students were expelled for violent behaviour between 2011 and 2012 in schools in Barnsley, Rotherham, Kirklees, Bradford, Calderdale and Wakefield.
Further to this, it was established that two attacks which were perpetrated in Bradford between 2014 and 2015 involved the use of knives.
Commenting on the shocking rise in school violence during an interview with the BBC, former headmistress Anne Swift asserted: "Some children come into school fizzing with anger. It's not only upsetting for the children but it has a devastating impact on the teacher and leaves them feeling very drained."
Offering a potential reason for the increase in violence in the classroom, Ms. Swift suggested: "There is a lot of pressure on youngsters to perform, particularly because of the testing and assessments the government insists on."
"Sometimes it does not suit the children, they don't want to be sat at a table learning facts and having tests, it can cause them a lot of stress and anxiety," she added.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Department of Education insisted that violence within the classroom is not acceptable: "Teachers and school staff have a right to feel safe while doing their jobs and violence towards them is completely unacceptable."
Shedding light on their approach to the issue, he continued: "We have scrapped 'no touch' rules that stopped teachers removing disruptive pupils from classrooms, and ensured schools' decisions on exclusions can no longer be overruled."
Were you aware of the extent of the problem?
