New data on attacks in local schools

New figures show more than 5000 attacks have been recorded in schools across the Forth Valley over the last two years.

Figures from a Freedom of Information request by Central FM News show nearly 4,500 of these were in primary schools.

That includes just under 1,000 incidents in Falkirk primary schools in the 12 months to April 2024.

2271 instances of abuse or violence were noted in Clackmannanshire, Falkirk and Stirling schools in the year to May 2025.

1949 of these were in primary school, with 322 attacks logged in local secondary schools.

The Scottish Government is introducing an action plan to tackle violence in schools across Scotland.

Speaking when the proposals were first outlined, Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said:

“Since the last action plan on relationships and behaviour in Scotland’s schools was published in 2017, our children and young people have experienced periods of significant challenge, including a global pandemic and a cost-of-living crisis which is causing real difficulty for families across the country. There is no doubt this has had a major impact on their schooling and how they learn.

“Improving relationships, behaviour and attendance in schools is one of my top priorities as Education Secretary. We have been working jointly on this with key partners such as COSLA and SAGRABIS since I was appointed and this new action plan contains a series of steps to be taken which will ensure that both pupils and staff are safe and supported. It takes an evidence-based approach to responding to the relationships and behaviour challenges faced in our schools and has been informed by the Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research (BISSR), which heard from nearly 4,000 teachers and support staff, as well as discussions with a wide range of stakeholders including teaching unions at the three behaviour summits.

“While it is clear that the vast majority of pupils in our schools continue to behave well, there are undoubtedly growing behavioural issues associated with mobile phones. This new guidance empowers head teachers to take the steps they see fit for their school to limit the use of mobile phones, including a full ban on the school estate if they feel that is required and I would encourage teachers to take all the steps they feel necessary to combat these issues.”