1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,720 Speaker 1: So schools are dealing with more fights and assaults than 2 00:00:02,800 --> 00:00:05,880 Speaker 1: ever before. This year, there have been over twelve thousand 3 00:00:06,040 --> 00:00:10,200 Speaker 1: incidents of students being stood down, suspended, excluded, or expelled 4 00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:13,800 Speaker 1: for physical assault on other students and staff. That number 5 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:17,200 Speaker 1: has risen forty nine percent in the last six years. 6 00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:21,280 Speaker 1: PPTA President Chris Abercrombie joins me. Now, good morning, Chris, How. 7 00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:22,760 Speaker 2: Are you good morning? Good? 8 00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:25,840 Speaker 1: Thank you excellent. How widespread is this issue? 9 00:00:26,920 --> 00:00:30,080 Speaker 2: From my understanding, it's pretty widespread from primary to secondary, 10 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:33,959 Speaker 2: and it's a real concern that these numbers are increasing. 11 00:00:34,840 --> 00:00:37,879 Speaker 1: The teacher's well trained to handle a violent or difficult 12 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:38,639 Speaker 1: situation like. 13 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:45,200 Speaker 2: This increasingly, so there was an element of restraint restraint 14 00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:48,040 Speaker 2: course that teachers had to do. It was online. But 15 00:00:48,479 --> 00:00:51,879 Speaker 2: there's a real concern about the significant unmet need in 16 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:53,920 Speaker 2: our schools and this is an expression of that. 17 00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:58,240 Speaker 1: What is a significant unnet meat une unmet need? 18 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:02,760 Speaker 2: We know, we know our children are coming to school 19 00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:06,160 Speaker 2: with incredibly complex needs, way more complex than when I 20 00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:10,319 Speaker 2: was at school, and you know, mental health, bed other issues. 21 00:01:10,400 --> 00:01:12,920 Speaker 2: You know were understanding how brains work a lot better. 22 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:16,200 Speaker 2: But we know our schools are under pressure, and this 23 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:18,240 Speaker 2: is an expression of that, thank sure. 24 00:01:18,319 --> 00:01:20,319 Speaker 1: And Chris, do we know why there's been an increase 25 00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:22,600 Speaker 1: over the last six years of course, which takes us 26 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:23,920 Speaker 1: back to just pre COVID. 27 00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:27,760 Speaker 2: Well, I think again there's a unmet need. We know 28 00:01:27,959 --> 00:01:31,880 Speaker 2: our populations increased significantly. We know we've got feature shortages, 29 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:35,480 Speaker 2: we know class sizes are increasing. All of these things 30 00:01:36,520 --> 00:01:39,080 Speaker 2: just put pressure on the system and you know, and 31 00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:43,320 Speaker 2: sometimes unfortunately that pressure shows itself in this way with 32 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:44,119 Speaker 2: these young people. 33 00:01:44,319 --> 00:01:47,240 Speaker 1: The government's twenty twenty five budget included seven hundred and 34 00:01:47,319 --> 00:01:51,200 Speaker 1: forty seven million boost for learning support, which seems pretty substantial. 35 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:54,200 Speaker 1: Is that going some way to help I mean, does 36 00:01:54,240 --> 00:01:56,800 Speaker 1: that get to get more teacher ades and classrooms to 37 00:01:57,160 --> 00:01:57,640 Speaker 1: help out? 38 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:01,040 Speaker 2: Well? There for primary, yes, that there will have out 39 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:03,960 Speaker 2: that that was specifically a primary focus. There wasn't much 40 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:07,840 Speaker 2: for secondary in that, and so you know, that's one 41 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:09,440 Speaker 2: of the things the Ministry has said is that this 42 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:12,639 Speaker 2: year's budget, well next year's budget sorry, it is going 43 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:14,840 Speaker 2: to be a secondary teacher focus or a secondary focus. 44 00:02:14,880 --> 00:02:17,280 Speaker 2: So we're really hopeful to see that support we need 45 00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:20,200 Speaker 2: there because you know, no young person decides they're going 46 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:21,799 Speaker 2: to come along and you know, get into a fight 47 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:23,760 Speaker 2: at school or the teacher or something like that. You know, 48 00:02:24,040 --> 00:02:26,560 Speaker 2: there's lots going on in these young people's lives and 49 00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:28,600 Speaker 2: sometimes we need to make sure we can support them. 50 00:02:28,919 --> 00:02:30,520 Speaker 1: Is that what it's going to take. You need to 51 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:32,600 Speaker 1: have sort of two things on the go here, Maybe 52 00:02:32,639 --> 00:02:34,400 Speaker 1: a little bit more support in the classroom with the 53 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:39,760 Speaker 1: teacher aide, and then more better accessibility to you know, 54 00:02:39,880 --> 00:02:42,800 Speaker 1: whether it's counselors and psychologists and the people that these 55 00:02:42,919 --> 00:02:44,840 Speaker 1: children need to help sort their situations. 56 00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:48,560 Speaker 2: Absolutely, absolutely, yeah, particularly that pastoral care support or something 57 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:50,720 Speaker 2: we've been asking well for a long time because we 58 00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:52,720 Speaker 2: know this is something that teachers have been saying to us, 59 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:55,080 Speaker 2: is that you know, our young people have really, our 60 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:57,359 Speaker 2: children have really. You know, it's a lot more there's 61 00:02:57,360 --> 00:02:58,840 Speaker 2: a lot more complex world than when I was at 62 00:02:58,919 --> 00:03:02,119 Speaker 2: school in the eighties and nineties, So you know, young 63 00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:04,760 Speaker 2: people are dealing with a lot of issues that a 64 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:07,840 Speaker 2: lot of older people does never never even considered. 65 00:03:07,919 --> 00:03:09,919 Speaker 1: To stand down steal with the problem at all. 66 00:03:12,680 --> 00:03:15,080 Speaker 2: Yes and no, yes and no. So in a sense, 67 00:03:15,160 --> 00:03:17,600 Speaker 2: you know, often it can be a nice catalyst for 68 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:19,639 Speaker 2: a young person. You know, you can get support for them, 69 00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:22,360 Speaker 2: you can you know, it can bring about change and some, 70 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:25,120 Speaker 2: but sometimes it's a sort of a cool down period 71 00:03:25,160 --> 00:03:29,359 Speaker 2: for everyone involved, and unfortunately too. I mean I grew 72 00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:31,640 Speaker 2: up in a small school area and I taught in 73 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:35,320 Speaker 2: single schools and their oly school in the community. Sometimes 74 00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:37,400 Speaker 2: that student has to come back to that school. There's 75 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:39,720 Speaker 2: no other choice, there's no other school for them to 76 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:43,240 Speaker 2: go to. So sometimes it's just pausing the problem, but 77 00:03:43,280 --> 00:03:45,480 Speaker 2: sometimes it is also a catalyst to get more support. 78 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:48,360 Speaker 1: Chris as always really appreciate your time this morning. Have 79 00:03:48,440 --> 00:03:51,360 Speaker 1: a lovely Christmas. Thank you so much. That was PPTA 80 00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:52,880 Speaker 1: President Chris Abercrombie. 81 00:03:52,920 --> 00:03:56,800 Speaker 2: There for more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge. Listen 82 00:03:56,920 --> 00:03:59,920 Speaker 2: live to News Talks it'd be from five am weekdays, 83 00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:02,240 Speaker 2: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.