THERE have been 82 incidents of classroom violence at secondary schools across Ceredigion since 2019.

A Freedom of Information request to Ceredigion County Council shows incidents have doubled this year on last – and risen slightly compared to 2019/20.

The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) definition of work-related violence is ‘any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to work’.

There were 30 occasions of classroom violence in 2019/20, then 17 the year after and 35 the year following that.

There have been no incidents in primary schools for two years but there were five in 2019/20.

A Ceredigion County Council spokesperson said: “All staff working with children and young people are vitally important in supporting the learning and development of pupils in their care.

“Youth Workers and Skills Mentors are also based in schools and work closely with pupils who have behavioural and emotional needs.

“Several training events and workshops have been arranged for staff in order to further develop knowledge and understanding of preventative and restorative practice and trauma-informed approaches.”

Numbers were much higher in authority areas with special schools, of which there are none in Ceredigion.

The Health and Safety Executive lists those who work in education as one of the occupational groups most at risk from workplace violence. Across all groups, teachers and support staff have the sixth highest level of violence at work.