Fife Council: Councillors call for report on violence in Kingdom's schools

Members of Fife Council’s Education Scrutiny committee called for the report to be produced as soon as possible at their meeting on Tuesday.

The request for the report was made by East Neuk and Landward councillor Sean Dillon, following the violent incident at Waid Academy in Anstruther last week and it was backed by fellow councillors.

Footage emerged on social media last week of the shocking assault of a schoolgirl, sparking public outrage.

Local politicians condemned the incident, as did First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

Speaking at Tuesday’s committee meeting, Councillor David Dempsey said: “In light of the considerable media coverage and statements all the way up to the First Minister I feel it’s important that we have a look at questions around bullying and assaults on pupils as soon as possible.”

Councillor Colin Davidson asked for information on the council’s policy on those young people actively videoing bullying and violent incidents and posting them online, while Councillor Linda Erskine said violence against staff in schools should also be looked at.

Councillor Dillon said that following conversations with parents and former teachers he has been made aware that the acts of violence last week are not unique to the Anstruther school and are in fact common place in schools across Fife and Scotland as a whole.

He proposed that a report coming to the committee should cover several key areas to address parent’s concerns.

These areas are: incidents of recorded violence over the last five years; the current protocols for school staff when dealing with incidents; the procedure for reporting incidents to the education department and police; the support available to the victim, staff and witnesses following incidents; the impact of violent behaviour on the education of other children and young people; the exclusion policy of Fife Council.

Speaking after the meeting, Councillor Dillon said: “It is vital that the council works to reassure parents and carers that the widely shared incidents that occurred in my ward will be tackled wherever it happens across Fife.

"By bringing a report before this scrutiny committee, it will allow elected members to guarantee that the education department places the safety of Fife’s young people and educators at the heart of its decision making.

"Our schools must follow the policies set out by the local authority and the Scottish Government. Because of this, schools have their hands tied when it comes to dealing with cases of violence or extreme behaviour. It is crucial that both our council and the Scottish Government review current policies in a timely manner.

"While this report will not be a silver bullet to the engrained, national problem of violence in our education system, it is a step in the right direction, and I look forward to scrutinising it in due course.”