A survey carried out by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, has revealed that 28 percent of staff in school have been bullied. Out of this group, 25 percent said that they had been bullied by a pupil and 23 percent said they had been picked on by a parent. Half of the staff admitted to being bullied by a senior member of staff, which includes the head teacher.

Nine hundred teachers took part in the survey, which was released as members of the ATL at their year conference in Liverpool, tried to solve the problem of bullying. ATL members have expressed concern regarding harassment and bullying at work, and have requested a policy which will be put in place nationally.

Of the staff who reported being bullied, 32 percent said that they weren’t sure of the reason why it occurred, while 41 percent believed it was because the person didn’t like them. 72 percent of staff said that being bullied had caused them considerable stress, and 66 percent were left feeling anxious as a result. 59 percent of staff had thought about leaving their jobs and almost half had considered leaving the teaching profession altogether.

Dr Mary Bousted, ATL general secretary said:

It is unacceptable for any staff to be bullied by colleagues, and schools and colleges need robust policies in place to pick up any problems and deal with them promptly.

Head teachers have also been given powers to prevent pupils making false allegations against teachers, while teachers themselves will be able to control unruly behaviour of pupils, removing them from class if necessary.