Teachers under threat from violent kids, report claims.

A council report has recorded a catalogue of violence committed by pupils against teachers in Haringey.

Among the incidents reported, teachers have been punched, kicked, assaulted with a lump of clay, bitten on the breast, and threatened with a burning cigarette lighter.

The list is taken from accident report forms filled out by teachers between November last year and February this year. Altogether there are ten incidents.

Shocked by the findings Haringey Councils Conservative group leader Cllr Peter Forrest has called for tough action against violence in the classroom.

He said: Those who attack teachers should have the book thrown at them. Teachers jobs are difficult enough without having to put up with violent, unruly pupils.

The schools recorded are: William C Harvey Special School, Tottenham, White Hart Lane Secondary, Wood Green, Campsbourne Junior, Hornsey, and Northumberland Park Secondary, Tottenham which accounts for six of the ten incidents.

However the figures can be misleading as the schools voluntarily sent in their accident reports, and many others did not.

The report was discussed at a meeting of Haringey Councils Education Joint Consultative Committee on March 23.

Entries recorded on the accident reports include:

bitten by student on left breast in the classroom (William C Harvey, Nov 10).

pupil punched at her face missed then pushed a lighted lighter towards

her threatening to burn her hand (Northumberland Park, Nov 7)

Two teachers and two classes of students affected by gas sprayed into the

classroom by unknown persons (Northumberland Park, Feb 9).

A spokeswoman for the councils education department said: We take any assault in a school and any injuries it may cause very seriously, but incidents do not appear be any more prevalent in Haringey than elsewhere.

She added that the council agreed with government advice that schools should record all assaults and investigate them.

Schools would then have to decide whether to call in the police according to the nature and seriousness of the incident.

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