17,000 teachers attacked by students?
The claim
“In a typical year now, you get 17,000 teachers being attacked by students. We’ve got a real problem here.”
David Cameron, Leaders’ debate, 15 April 2010
The background
During last Thursday’s leaders’ debate David Cameron came out with a rather startling claim concerning the volume of attacks on teachers. Since then, many of you have contacted us to ask if he got it right. Here’s what we found out.
The analysis
FacCheck was told the Tory leader’s claim was based on research published by government via the Schools Census.
Indeed, the research shows that 17,870 fixed-period exclusions were issued after “physical assaults against an adult” by students in schools in 2007/8. It is worth noting that the same research shows that 950 permanent exclusions were also issued during the same period.
However, as the Department for Children, Schools and Families confirmed to FactCheck, numerous fixed-term exclusions could be handed to the same pupil, and of course the same teacher could have been attacked more than once.
In addition, the research relates to “assaults against an adult” meaning that it doesn’t refer strictly to teachers.
The verdict
The Conservative leader is playing rather loose with this claim. He’s right that the statistics show over 17,000 attacks but we can’t say if they were on teachers or how serious they were as a fixed-term exclusion could refer to suspension for as little as a day.
It’s worth pointing out that his statement masks the fact that the incident which resulted in a suspension could have been a shove or a push.
There are 4 comments on this post
Your case does not support your assertion that Cameron played ‘loose with this claim’. According to you he was pretty much spot on.
The fact that the attacks were ‘shoves’ on occasion or that they were against adults in school who weren’t teachers does not reduce his statement’s impact at all.
Your arrow should point at FACT.
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I disagree with Andrew and this is why;
Cameron said attacks on teachers. The figures say assaults on adults.
Adults in school covers teachers, teaching assistants, caretakers, secretarial staff, cleaners, visitors, governors and parents.
Attack sounds like there is physical injury to the victim but as the actual statistic is on assaults, and these cover a wide range of actions, attack is an escalation in the language that the statistics do not warrant.
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I was for many years a school governoer, and sat on an Appeals Committee that handled exclusions.
I can assure you that Mr Cameron and the official statistics underestimate the problem. In a significant number of instances, Headteachers, Governing bodies and LEA’s refuse to take action because they are worried about the effect that adverse publicity will have on the school concerned. Like domestic violence, the problem remains underreported.
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I was attacked by a student with a knife and although no physical wounding took place, the mental stress was, is, very real. My school, however, refuses to acknowledge it happened. An excellent ofsted inspection has silenced any publicity.a teacher attacks a student, difficult to stop the press and due process. The other way round? silence.
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