Nearly 2,500 school staff assaulted by pupils in one year as MLA warns attacks have become a “taboo issue”

Almost 2,500 teachers and classroom assistants across Northern Ireland were injured or assaulted by pupils in the space of a single year, according to figures released by the Education Authority.

The scale of the violence was laid bare after Ulster Unionist Party Leader Jon Burrows raised the issue in the Assembly, warning that attacks on school staff have become a “taboo issue” that too many people are unwilling to confront.

Newly released figures show 598 teachers and 1,974 classroom assistants were recorded under the category ‘Assault by Pupil’ between April 2025 and April 2026 — a combined total of 2,472 incidents involving school staff.

Burrows said the reality facing some education workers had become impossible to ignore, describing incidents involving teachers suffering concussions, broken ribs and other serious injuries while carrying out their jobs.

Warnings over growing violence inside schools

Ulster Unionist Party Leader, and North Antrim MLA Jon Burrows

Speaking in the Assembly chamber, the North Antrim MLA said many frontline staff felt unsupported despite dealing with violent behaviour on a daily basis.

“Violence against teachers and classroom assistants in our schools is described to me by those who work on the front line as a taboo issue, one that nobody wants to talk about, and nobody wants to address,” he said.

“That must change.”

Burrows said the figures exposed the scale of the problem affecting schools across Northern Ireland.

“When I visit schools and am told that a teacher next door has just been concussed, when I speak to teachers with broken ribs and broken bones, I will speak up for them, because too many of them feel they are not being heard,” he said.

“This issue deserves far greater publicity and attention. Our teachers, our pupils, and our parents all deserve schools that are safe for everyone.”

The comments are likely to resonate with many school staff, with teachers and classroom assistants continuing to deal with increasing behavioural pressures inside classrooms already stretched by staffing shortages, funding pressures and rising special educational needs demand.

Classroom assistants account for most reported assaults

The figures released by the Education Authority show classroom assistants accounted for the overwhelming majority of reported incidents.

According to the data:

• 598 teaching staff were recorded as injured or assaulted by pupils

• 1,974 classroom assistants were recorded as injured or assaulted by pupils

• Total incidents recorded: 2,472

The statistics cover reports submitted to the EA Health and Safety section under the category ‘Assault by Pupil’ over a 12-month period.

The Education Authority confirmed the figures could not be broken down by either year group or gender.

Burrows argued the issue particularly affects women working in education, saying the majority of those injured are female staff members.

“When we talk about violence against women, we rarely speak about what is happening in our schools, yet the vast majority of those being injured and assaulted are female,” he said.

“These are women going to work every day to do their very best for our young people, and they are not getting the support they deserve.”

Calls for formal injury reduction plan

Burrows said not every incident involved deliberate violence, stressing that some cases related to pupils with additional needs becoming dysregulated and requiring specialist support and training for staff.

However, he also warned of what he described as a separate culture problem involving intimidation and abusive behaviour in some schools.

“There is also an entirely different problem, a culture in some schools of pupils who are simply unruly, abusive, and engaged in deliberate intimidation of teachers and classroom assistants,” he said.

“Those staff need to know they have our full support.”

The MLA said he has previously written to Education Minister Paul Givan calling for a formal injury reduction plan aimed at protecting school staff and improving behaviour management.

He argued schools must be empowered to deal more quickly with disruptive behaviour to protect both staff and pupils.

“Schools must be empowered to deal swiftly with disruptive pupils, not only to protect staff, but to protect the vast majority of well-behaved pupils whose education is being undermined,” he said.

Political row over age of criminal responsibility

Burrows also used the debate to criticise proposals supported by Alliance Party representatives to raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility in Northern Ireland from 10 to 14.

He claimed such a move could weaken protections around serious incidents involving younger pupils.

“In practice, this would make bullying, assault, upskirting and downblousing by any person under 14 effectively legal in Northern Ireland,” he said.

“That would be a deeply damaging outcome and I urge the Assembly to think very carefully before going down that road.”

The issue has become part of a wider political debate around school discipline, staff welfare and rising concerns over behaviour management pressures facing teachers and classroom assistants across Northern Ireland.

Pressure growing on Stormont over school safety

The figures emerged in response to a written Assembly question submitted by Burrows to Education Minister Paul Givan asking for details on the number of teachers and classroom assistants injured as a result of pupil behaviour over the past year.

In his response, the Minister said the Department of Education does not directly employ teachers or classroom assistants, with incidents instead reported through the Education Authority.

While the statistics do not provide a full breakdown of the severity of incidents, the numbers are likely to intensify pressure on Stormont to address safety concerns inside classrooms as schools continue dealing with increasingly complex behavioural and support needs.

For many staff working on the frontline of education, the debate has now moved beyond isolated incidents and into wider questions about whether schools have the resources, staffing and authority needed to keep both employees and pupils safe.