The leader of a teachers' union in the UK has stated that educators are in discussions about the necessity of stab-proof vests and body cameras to address incidents of violence in schools as physical assaults by violent pupils are on the rise. 

Patrick Roach, the general secretary of NASUWT, has raised concerns about a significant issue of violence within schools, with 40 percent of teachers having witnessed a violent occurrence.

During an interview for Times Radio, Patrick Roach expressed that while some teachers were requesting increased protection, he believed the problem should be tackled by providing additional assistance to the children and their families, rather than equipping teachers with defensive measures.

He said," The reality is that even within the school gates there is a problem of violence around the carrying of offensive weapons. And I know that many teachers are trying to work very hard to address those issues."

"Violence, our members said in our behavior survey, has increased significantly over the course of the last 12 months. 40% of teachers say that they have experienced or witnessed a physical violent assault in their schools. That's serious," he added.

'We need to arm our teachers'

When inquired about whether teachers were advocating for the implementation of stab-resistant vests, he responded by saying, "We have had that being raised. I wouldn't say that it's the generality of our members who have raised that as an issue."

"Whether it be stab vests, whether that be bodycams. This is part of a discussion that is taking place."

"But there's a dynamic in the relationship between teachers and pupils, which is fundamental, which we don't really want to change, which is ultimately one which is built on trust, it's built on mutual respect and we think that's an important part of the way in which schools should be functioning," he added.

"If we reduce this to how do we deal with an individual pupil that may be carrying a weapon inside? We need to legislate for that. We need to arm our teachers. We need to give teachers staff vests. We need to give teachers bodycams," he further added.

The recent tragic killing of Elianne Andam, a 15-year-old girl en route to her school in Croydon, South London, has brought the problem of youth knife crime back into the spotlight.

A 17-year-old male student has been formally charged with her murder.

According to the most recent data from the Metropolitan Police, there have been 652 knife-related criminal incidents in Croydon during the 12 months leading up to September, with 194 of them resulting in injuries.

Compared to the corresponding period in the previous year, the overall number of incidents in the year ending August 2023 has risen by nearly 30 percent.

In London as a whole, there have been 13,140 recorded knife-related criminal incidents during the 12 months leading up to September, with 3,472 of these cases resulting in injuries.

This indicates an 18.6 percent increase in the total number of incidents in the 12 months ending in August 2023 compared to the preceding year.

Croydon, with 1.7 knife-related offenses per 1,000 residents this year, ranks ninth among London boroughs. The borough most severely affected is Westminster, with 3.4 offenses per 1,000 residents.

On Thursday, a 15-year-old boy was sentenced to 14 months in youth detention at Bristol Magistrates' Court for the stabbing of mathematics teacher Jamie Sansom in July of this year at Tewkesbury Academy, located in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire.

Commenting on the issue, a Department for Education spokesperson said, "No teacher should feel unsafe or face violence in the workplace and we are taking action to improve pupils' behavior to ensure every school has a safe and respectable environment."

Read next: UK teachers face unbearable workload and inadequate pay: NEU survey