London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 31, 2025

School abuse: Teachers face sexualised insults in class, says union

School abuse: Teachers face sexualised insults in class, says union

Teachers face "derogatory sexualised" language as well as violence and threats from pupils in the classroom, a union conference has heard.

The NASUWT conference condemned schools and colleges that claim "unacceptable" student behaviour is "part of the job".

A survey of over 4,700 union members found 38% had been verbally abused, and 10% threatened with violence.

"We need to reclaim our classrooms, but we cannot do it alone," said NASUWT executive member Wendy Exton.

Teachers are often left with no access to appropriate support and many school and college leaders do not receive adequate training, a motion passed at the conference said.

The concerns from teachers come after school pupils sparked a government review by posting stories online about sexual harassment and abuse by their peers.

The website Everyone's Invited has now gathered more than 13,400 testimonies of pupils' experiences.

Ms Exton said criminal issues such as drugs, violence, knives and country lines "spill over" into the classroom, and go unreported "as schools are afraid of the repercussions".

She said too many excuses were made for poor behaviour, "from living on a council estate to trauma and even lack of tobacco".

"Today's behaviour directed to us as teachers include not only vile language, but derogatory sexualised terms, threats to ourselves and our families, and indeed, violence itself," Ms Exton said.

"In classrooms, many staff are struggling alone with extreme behaviours."

'Daily' threats


The survey of 4,700 NASUWT members found that in addition to verbal abuse and threats, 6% of teachers had been subjected to physical violence by pupils in the last year.

The motion at the conference applauded teachers who have balloted for industrial action in order to refuse to teach violent pupils.

Rosemary Carabine, another member of the union's executive, questioned why teachers should have to use workplace grievance procedures or industrial action to feel safe at work from "daily" threats and aggression, in some cases.

Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT general secretary, said the union was "unequivocal" that teachers should not have to endure any form of abuse in the classroom or online.

"The union is continuing to take steps, up to and including industrial action and refusal to teach ballots, where members report to us that serious pupil indiscipline or abuse is going unchallenged by their school," he said.

A spokesperson for the Department for Education said: "In no circumstances should teachers be subjected to abuse simply for doing their jobs."

The department said it had "ambitious plans" to improve behaviour in schools, including making behaviour management a core part of early teacher training, and improving guidance for schools.

It is also funding £10m "behaviour hubs", where schools with "exemplary behaviour cultures" share practices with others that want to improve, the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson told the NASUWT conference that investing in the next generation of teachers was "crucial" to the pandemic recovery plans.

In the pre-recorded speech, he said more needs to be done to improve teacher training as the quality of teaching was the "single most important factor" in education.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×