Moray Council considers disruptive behaviour in Moray schools
Moray Council’s Education, Children’s and Leisure Services Committee has today (Tuesday 20 February 2024) considered report on the increasing reports of disruptive behaviour in Moray’s schools.
A report from the Scottish Government in November 2023 indicated that disruptive behaviour in schools has increased across Scotland, including physical violence and aggression, since an initial report in 2016.
There has been a significant increase in relation to concerning behaviour incidents within schools and in communities throughout Moray, however, this involves less than 10% of students from each school and most pupils are still considered well behaved.
Locally, there has been an increase in Violence and Aggression reporting across schools. However, further analysis is needed as this increase could be due to the new report format for every incident.
The Behaviour in Scottish Schools 2023 report gives recommendations on improving relationships and behaviours in schools. Moray Council has responded to the recommendations and suggests that a focus on positive relationships, positive behaviour policies, and nurture and inclusive practices will be just a few of the areas considered.
School staff in Moray are proactively exploring approaches that fit the specific needs of their schools and are looking at creative solutions to reduce any antisocial behaviour amongst their pupils.
It is recognised a partnership approach is needed and this will be discussed further with the community planning board next week.
Chair of Moray Council’s Education, Communities and Leisure Services Committee, Cllr Kathleen Robertson, said: “Violent and abusive behaviour towards pupils or staff is completely unacceptable. While it’s a relatively small number of students contributing to this behaviour it’s having a wider impact on other young people and staff. We need to take into account the short-term disruption this causes and the long-term impact this is having on our schools, workforce and our aspirations.
“The education team in Moray is working incredibly hard ensuring support is being provided for schools and staff where needed and interventions in schools are being implemented to minimise these behaviours. This is a pressing issue, that’s happening right now in Moray, and we’ll continue to look at this closely.”