Rich parents being blamed for class violence

POSH kids are to blame for an increase in school violence, a charity claims. According to Crisis Counselling the most disruptive pupils are those who come from a middle-class background because their parents are too busy worrying about work and money to discipline them.

The allegations towards affluent children were voiced after it was revealed that up to 100 pupils a day get sent home for acts of violence towards staff or fellow classmates.

Jean Cummings of Crisis said: “I’ve just finished working with an eight-year-old who has a problem at school and he comes from a very affluent family.

“He’s no different from the wee one yesterday that came from social work. Kids now kick off in just the same way with no class distinction at all.

“With families under more work pressures or facing redundancies they don’t want any hassle with the kids.”

Attacks

Ms Cummings said that absent parents don’t just create problems with their kids – even the teachers are left distraught.

“The kids are missing out on the parenting that establishes boundaries for behaviour at school.

“We’re seeing more teachers coming for counselling as well because when a child starts chucking tables or hitting another child they’re very limited in how they can control it.”

Last year in Scotland almost 2,000 teachers were attacked by pupils – an increase of 16% from the year before.

They were head-butted, kicked and spat on – one female teacher in her 50s even had her leg broken and kneecaps dislocated.

Another teacher had a piece of wood smashed over his head when asked a boy aged 11 to stop hitting his desk.

Nearly 500 weapons have been seized in the last five years including one five-year-old who was armed with a knife.

Others not much older have been caught with meat cleavers, machetes and knuckle dusters.

A former Glasgow west-end headteacher, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “We have parents who are more interested in raising money than raising their kids and they spend little time with them.”

The Educational Institute for Scotland said that kids as young as toddlers are acting violently.

Drew Morris from EIS said: “There’s a lack of acceptance of normal standards of behaviour that can often be found by our teachers even in nurseries.

“The children are not willing to allow a teacher to intrude on what they believe they should be allowed to do.”

Student teachers who are taken into classrooms for crucial vocational training have been subjected to a verbal abuse – female students have been called a “bitch” and “a stupid cow” by children at P2 level.

The Scottish Government said they will continue to investigate the problem and that even one attack is “one too many”.

A spokesman said: “Violence against school staff is rare and the vast majority of pupils in our schools are well behaved.

“However any attack on a teacher is one too many and we are working with our partners to improve behaviour.

“Independent research shows behaviour, including low level negative, serious discipline and violence has improved since 2006.”