By Lucy Carroll
Assaults reported in NSW schools have surged to record levels in the past two years, as police are called dozens of times each week about violent incidents on school grounds.
New crime statistics, covering incidents at public and private schools, reveal almost 2300 assaults on school premises in the year to June, just below 2460 the year before.
The latest snapshot points to an alarming rise in intimidation, stalking and harassment incidents, with reports doubling to 1247 in a decade. Sexual offences, including sexual touching, spiked to 799 reports in the past year.
A separate dossier published by the NSW Education Department on Friday has detailed thousands of incidents in public schools, including reports of assaults involving multiple students, some filmed and circulated on social media.
“An executive staff member reports an assault occurred between students on school grounds. The incident was filmed by other students and disseminated over social media,” one report from a school in the Penrith area said.
Other reports included students assaulting “multiple staff members on school grounds”, with instances of staff members or students taken to hospital.
Almost 2300 assaults were reported in NSW public and private schools in the year to June.Credit: Janie Barrett
NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research’s Jackie Fitzgerald told the Herald there had been a surprising rise in assaults at schools after the pandemic.
“It has remained high over two years, which is concerning,” she said.
“We don’t know if that reflects more violence or schools are calling police more often.”
A blanket ban on mobile phones in schools was rolled out almost a year ago in a bid to improve behaviour, attendance and engagement in classrooms.
Tim McDonald, who has advised government on student behaviour, said the rising tide of violence and harassment at schools is indicative of wider issues in the community.
“Tensions in communities and difficulties at home can spill over into schools. With so many forces impacting on schools we need to concentrate resources where they are needed, and ensure teachers are supported to manage misbehaviour and more serious incidents,” said McDonald, who is the CEO of YMCA WA, which runs a school for disengaged youth.
McDonald said it was critical to ensure trust and respect among students and staff, otherwise “we will have chaos, and this takes its toll on teachers”.
Students’ sense of belonging at school is vital and helps build a positive school culture where differences are embraced and accepted, he said.
The department’s incident log has reported a rise in assaults over five years, while there were some 740 reports of possession of weapons. The Central Coast had the highest number of violence and welfare reports of any area, followed by Maitland in the Hunter region.
There are around 1.2 million students in NSW schools. Crime data compiled by BOCSAR is based on reports of incidents, not charges or convictions.
A spokesperson for the department said: “While schools are among the safest places in our community, they are at times complex environments.
“We require our schools to report allegations of sexual assault and touching to police. An increase in these reports comes alongside strengthened mandatory reporting and more comprehensive consent education.”
The department noted they are the “only NSW school sector to provide regular and transparent incident reporting”. Private and Catholic schools do not publish publicly available data about incidents on their school grounds.
Crime data shows an 80 per cent rise in reports of assaults in schools over the decade, while use of drugs on school grounds has dropped over the decade, as has malicious damage to property.
Principals have previously flagged concerns students are acting out behaviour seen online or social media, stressing the need for parents to support schools with the reasonable expectations teachers are setting for students.
Numerous Instagram accounts have been created to share videos of fights in NSW schools. Some include footage of staff members intervening to try and contain the brawls.
NSW Secondary Principals’ Council president Denise Lofts said complex factors were contributing to the rise in reports, including improved awareness about reporting, and readiness of young people to speak up about sexual offences.
“There is also a need for more school support officers, especially in regional and remote schools, and for more school councillors,” said Lofts.
Over the past decade, there have been procedural and policy changes to make reporting easier for victims of sexual assault and offences. “This includes the introduction of online reporting platforms,” a BOSCAR spokesperson said, noting a rise in reporting of historical incidents.
Workplace safety regulator SafeWork NSW said it has conducted 93 compliance visits to public and private schools and education department offices since January last year, with 21 resulting in an improvement notice being issued.
“The visits aimed to verify compliance and manage psychosocial risks which includes exposure to harmful behaviour such as work-related violence,” a spokesperson said.
NSW Teachers’ Federation deputy president Amber Flohm said there had been a decline in mental health in young people and increased pressure of families.
“The focus should be on increasing resources in schools focus on student and staff wellbeing. But there must be a balance between schools, being the primary purpose of teaching and learning, and not the place where all issues can be resolved,” she said.
The Department updated its behaviour policy in term one this year with a scale of measures that principals can use address problem behaviour – including suspension and expulsion.
Earlier this month, the Herald reported a police investigation was launched at a south-west Sydney school after numerous physical fights broke out at the school, sparking a warning from parents not enough is being done to address persistent misbehaviour and violent attacks.
With Nigel Gladstone
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