School behaviour needs resource response

The STUC has called for more resources to protect school staff and to manage and support children with behaviour problems.

UNISON's Kate Ramsden found herself seconding one teaching union's (EIS) amendment to another teaching union's (NASUWT) motion after NASUWT accepted the amendment, then stunned Congress by speaking against it.

Kate explained UNISON's opposition to the motion and won backing for the amendment. "UNISON shares the concerns about the personal safety of staff in schools, including classroom assistants who are often the ones providing support to pupils with behaviour problems.

"However, we are not convinced the motion will address the real problems either for the staff or the children concerned."

It did not define terms like 'anti-social behaviour' or 'zero tolerance'. Kate warned these terms, "can have widely different meanings to different people. One person's minor irritation is another's antisocial behaviour."

Kate called for backing for schools that try to understand children with behaviour issues and a multi-agency response to deal with the underlying problems that lead to such behaviour.

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