Teachers flee blackboard jungle

School teachers are being assaulted with chairs, knives and fists while some are even having guns held to their heads, records reveal.

NSW teachers filed 252 reports of assault or serious threats to their safety between September 2006 and August 2007 with 102 claims for physical assault, the Daily Telegraph reports.

Incident documents released by the Department of Education and Training show teachers are regularly threatened with firearms and other weapons by students, parents and intruders.

The reports show fears for teacher safety make up nearly one-third of reports of school disruptions.

Among the dossier of violence against teachers is the case of a Year Seven student holding “a silver automatic pistol" to a teacher's head for more than one minute after he was stopped playing football.

Police found the gun was a "realistic" imitation — but the teacher was unaware of this at the time.

The student was arrested and charged with assault and use of a prohibited weapon.

In another case, a female Year 12 student allegedly drove her car at her principal, forcing him to jump to safety.

The reports also show children as young as five are exhibiting mental health problems, forcing schools to call in specialist teams.

A kindergarten student at a primary school in southern NSW allegedly tried to "trash" the classroom and as the teacher went to close the door he was hit in the back of the head by a chair, the report said.

The teacher required physiotherapy after the attack.

The Department of Education said it was spending $144 million on developing strategies to deal with "challenging students", including courses for teachers on how to handle assault.

msn, 17 Mar, 2008