MEDIA RELEASE
29 August  2009

Substantial Increase in Primary Kids Assaulting Teachers

Family First NZ says that figures obtained from the Ministry of Education show that violent assaults on both children and teachers in primary schools has dramatically increased since 2000.

“According to figures which were not available on the Ministry website but obtained by Family First, they show that the rate of stand-downs for assaults by 7-year-olds on teachers has increased 194% since 2000,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ. “The rate of assaults on other children has increased 74%.”

“The figures for 8 year olds are no better. Stand-downs for assaults on teachers and on other children have doubled in the past 8 years. The exclusion rate which applies to very serious assaults has increased by 44% since 2000.”

“For primary age children across the board, the rate of stand-downs for 5-10 year olds for assaults on students has increased 77% and assaults on teachers has increased 66%, despite only a 4% increase in the general school population.”

The Ministry of Education report in 2008 trumpeted a fall in school suspensions, and the then Minister of Education Chris Carter heralded it as a ‘concerted effort by schools supported by the ministry’.

“Yet these figures reveal that violence and dangerous behaviour is on the rise in primary schools with more pupils assaulting teachers and classmates. A study released in 2007 by the NZEI found that more than 50 per cent of teachers reported "aggressive verbal confrontations" with students.”

 “It is significant that as schools have removed corporal punishment, schools have become more violent. School yard bullying by pupils on other pupils and staff is now the new form of ‘corporal punishment’ in schools.”

“We have a generation of children who have been victims of a social experiment of how best to raise our kids and the role of correction. And it continues with the smacking debate – another example of undermining parental authority and ‘state knows best how to raise your kids’.”

“Student behaviour will continue to deteriorate for as long as we tell them that their rights are more important than their responsibilities, that proper parental authority is undermined by politicians and subject to the rights of their children, and that there will be no consequences of any significance or effectiveness for what they do,” says Mr McCoskrie.

ENDS

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