TEACHERS in East Ayrshire are afraid to go to work after classroom attacks TRIPLED in just three years.

That was the claim by Alan McKenzie, acting general secretary of the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association, after a freedom of information request by the Scottish Conservatives revealed the shocking statistics.

Pupils punched, kicked and subjected teachers to verbal abuse 52 times in East Ayrshire’s primary and secondary schools during the 2013/14 session - up from 16 in 2011/12 and 30 the following year.

East Ayrshire Council described the number of incidents as “small” but Mr McKenzie told the Chronicle that action must be taken.

He said: “There is clearly a problem and there have been concerns raised in two East Ayrshire schools.

“Some of our colleagues are afraid to go to work, they’re so traumatised by incidents that have happened in class.

“We need to stop this ignoring of the issue and claiming that everything is OK, we must address this problem.” But Graham Short, Executive Director, Educational and Social Services, East Ayrshire Council hit back, claiming: “There are some 15,000 children in East Ayrshire schools, therefore the number of violent incidents is small. Because the figures are small, sometimes even a minor change can appear more significant than it actually is because it is attributable to a very small number of children.

“Details of violent incidents are reported to the Education Directorate who monitor them closely together with colleagues in health and safety and other chief officers.” In June the Chronicle reported that East Ayrshire Council was operating with fewer teachers than ever after a drop of 50 since 2009, Larry Flanagan of teachers union EIS, blamed that for the rise in assaults.

He said: “Cuts to education budgets have reduced the number of specialist support staff, such as pupil support assistants, working in our schools, while the number of professional Educational Psychologists available to work with pupils has also declined.

“Class sizes in our schools are increasing, leaving teachers facing an ever greater challenge in maintaining effective discipline in the classroom.” During the 2013/14 period there were 14 assaults in Dumfries and Galloway, 155 in South Ayrshire and 27 in North Ayrshire, with Renfrewshire Council reporting 277 incidents - the highest in Scotland.

A spokesperson for Dumfries and Galloway Council added: “We hope that our staff are treated with respect while doing their jobs across Dumfries and Galloway. Our staff have rights, and should not be threatened in the course of their work.”