A third of councils in Scotland have reported a rise in the number of teachers assaulted by children over the last three years.
Figures obtained by the Scottish Conservatives showed that 10 out of 32 councils saw an increase on assaults by pupils since 2011/12. Only eight councils saw the number of assaults drop.
Overall, there were 1,879 incidents reported to councils in 2013/14, an increase of 16% since 2011/12. Renfrewshire council reported the highest number of incidents, with 277 assaults made on staff.
Scottish Conservative young people spokeswoman Liz Smith MSP said: ‘Teachers should not be subjected to any form of assault, no matter how minor it may appear. It just should not happen.
‘It’s important therefore to make sure teachers feel empowered to take the necessary action and, where necessary, head teachers should not shy away from expelling pupils who are persistent, serious trouble-makers and who are preventing others from getting on in the classroom.’