School staff in Westmorland and Furness have been the victims of shocking acts of violence at the hands of pupils – including biting, kicking and even a headbutt.
A Freedom of Information request submitted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service has revealed there were 16 attacks on staff by pupils at schools across the council area over the last two years.
The data, provided by Westmorland and Furness Council, shows there were 11 attacks in the 2024-25 academic year and a further five in the 2025-26 academic year.
Attacks included hitting in the face, scratching, kicking, biting, a headbutt and even a pupil causing a head injury to a staff member after ‘forcibly releasing a door’.
The council was asked to provide information on assaults against teachers, but the council said it only records incidents involving school employees, not distinguishing between teaching and non-teaching staff. No locations of the attacks were given.
Here are the 16 attacks and their descriptions:
2024-25
September 2024: During a behavioural incident, a pupil attempted to strike a member of staff and caused an injury to their thumb.
October 2024: A pupil headbutted a member of staff, causing injury.
October 2024: During a behaviour management intervention, a pupil struck a member of staff on the head.
November 2024: During a behavioural incident, a pupil scratched a member of staff, breaking the skin and causing injury.
November 2024: During a behavioural incident, a pupil scratched a member of staff, causing injury.
November 2024: During a behavioural incident, a pupil repeatedly kicked a member of staff, causing injury.
January 2025: During a behavioural incident, a member of staff sustained a head injury when a pupil forcefully released a door.
February 2025: During a behavioural incident, a pupil struck a member of staff in the face, causing minor injury.
March 2025: During a behavioural incident, a pupil bit a member of staff’s leg, causing injury.
April 2025: During a behavioural incident, a pupil assaulted two members of staff by kicking, hitting and punching them, causing injury.
May 2025: During a behavioural incident, a pupil bit a member of staff, causing injury.
2025-26
September 2025: Over a three-day period, a pupil repeatedly kicked members of staff during behavioural incidents, causing minor injuries.
September 2025: A pupil struck a member of staff in the face during a behavioural incident, causing injury.
March 2026: During a behavioural incident, a pupil assaulted a member of staff, causing injury.
May 2026: During a behavioural incident, a pupil scratched, punched and kicked a member of staff, causing minor injuries.
May 2026: During a behaviour management intervention, a pupil scratched and pushed a member of staff, causing injury.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service asked the council what is being done to address this issue and what support is being offered to staff who are victims of such violence.
A spokesperson said: “Westmorland and Furness Council works in close partnership with all our schools. We are very proud of our inclusive education system and the commitment of our hardworking school staff and school leaders.
“It is important that all children and staff feel safe in our schools and we take violence against staff and pupils seriously.
“We have recently held a successful belonging and inclusion conference and offer development opportunities around trauma informed approaches. We continue to support our schools with the launch of an inclusion toolkit.”
By Zach Harrison (Local Democracy Reporting Service)
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