(New Zealand) Primary school teachers report "high levels of violence in their schools"

July 26, 2018, Scoop: School leaders report high levels of violence http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/ED1807/S00065/school-leaders-report-high-levels-of-violence.htm Senior primary school leaders are reporting high levels of violence in their schools, with 38% experiencing threats of violence in 2017, and 41% being subjected to actual physical violence. In the third part of a report, commissioned by NZEI Te Riu Roa from the Australian Catholic University, (see previous releases on the Discrimination and Burnoutreports) the Offensive Behaviour in Schools report raises serious safety and wellbeing issues. … “There are two parallel issues going on here. One is children with learning difficulties trying to access the help and support that they and their families need, and the other is adults whose behaviour in a learning environment is sometimes unacceptable…. Key findings: • 38% of all school leaders had experienced threats of violence in 2017. • 41% had experienced actual physical violence in that year. • Principals were slightly more likely than deputies to experience threats of violence, but deputies and assistants were more likely than principals to experience actual physical violence. • Both rates - threats and actual violence – had increased slightly since 2016. • Compared with the rates experienced by the general population, school leaders experience threats of violence at 4.87 the general prevalence, and physical violence at ten times the general prevalence. • Forty percent of female leaders were threatened with violence, compared to 34% of male leaders. Actual violence was reported by 43% of female leaders, compared to 38% of male leaders. … 1. There is an urgent need to increase resourcing, staffing and programmes to support the growing number of students with challenging behaviours. This should include: • The formalisation and funding of special needs coordinators in every school …