TEACHERS gathered at the National Education Union conference shared stories of abuse today as they called for a national taskforce to tackle violent behaviour in schools.

Portsmouth delegate Charlotte Lawrence said: “Staff are being grabbed, kicked, punched, spat at, cornered in classrooms, subjected to threats and left managing corridors that feel more like crowd control than education — and pupils are suffering too.

“Children are being assaulted by peers, witnessing frightening incidents and trying to learn in environments where emotional dysregulation becomes the norm because there aren’t enough staff or resources to intervene early or safely.”

Pupils should not be blamed for the increase in violent behaviour, she added, saying the rise is often due to their needs not being met, mental health challenges and unrecognised trauma.

Seconding the motion calling for the creation of the taskforce, Susan Kent told of a colleague “left with bruises and bites” after a pupil turned violent in her class.