Leader: We have no time to lose tackling school violence

Education and Skills Secretary Jenny Gilruth unveiled plans for a summit on school violence in May. Jane Barlow/PA Wire

​Ministers must show greater urgency in addressing pupil behaviour amid declining standards in education

The harrowing accounts of violence in Scotland’s schools we reveal today from distraught parents, carers, teachers and pupils should further raise the alarm over a recent surge in such incidents.

Among the allegations contained in the 109-page dossier released under freedom of information laws are a claim of sexual assault and an incident which “could easily have left the pupil for dead”. Many emails include videos of incidents after the footage was shared on social media by perpetrators.

While the individual accounts are shocking, the rise in the number of such incidents taking place in Scotland’s schools has been known about for some time.

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth unveiled plans for a summit on the issue in May, yet the Scottish Government has yet to produce a detailed plan to address the trend.

Ministers must display greater urgency in tackling this growing blight on our children’s education.

Behaviour problems are likely to be a significant factor in the general decline in standards we are now witnessing in our schools.

First Minister Humza Yousaf deserves credit for rejoining the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study and the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study as part of an effort to boost openness about the performance of Scottish schools.

But there is little reason to be optimistic about how Scotland will fare, following the publication last month of the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) tables which found standards falling in maths, science and reading compared to other countries.

As evidence mounts of rising violence and declining standards in our schools, questions are also being asked over the efficacy of the Scottish Government’s Curriculum for Excellence, introduced in 2010.

Ministers say they are committed to bringing forward a National Action Plan and a dedicated approach to misogyny. It is imperative they lose no more time in doing so.