The case in summary • Teachers and staff at primary schools and after-school care attend courses to learn how to handle violent situations.• Several private companies offer such courses to the municipalities.• There are reports of an increase in acting out behavior among students, which has led to an increase in violent situations at school.• Most of the pupils involved in violent incidents are between the ages of 6 and 12.• A unanimous Storting has asked the Government to obtain statistics showing the development in terms of violence and threats in Norwegian schools every year from now on. • The University of Southeast Norway is considering changing its teaching plan to better prepare student teachers to deal with violence in schools. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. A group of employees at primary schools and SFO in Bærum have turned up in light training clothes and good shoes. For two days, they will learn how to protect themselves and the students when someone hits, kicks or otherwise threatens life and health. Increased demand Verge vøllningen AS is one of several companies that offer such courses. Now they have more to do than ever. Markus Hernes from Verge vøllingen AS holds courses all over the country Photo: John-André Samuelsen / news When course holder Markus Hernes finishes in Bærum, he goes straight to Stavanger. There will be 300 teachers on a practical course, while all employees will go through an online course. There are several companies that do the same thing. Bærum municipality has bought such courses since 2018. Special adviser Janicke Smedsplass says the municipality buys such courses because it makes teachers safer. Photo: John-André Samuelsen / news – The employees become safer at work, says special adviser Janicke Smedsplass in Bærum municipality. She believes that practical exercises should be part of basic education to a greater extent. More acting out than before Camilla Ayres is an experienced teacher. She notices that it is tougher in primary school now than before. With a little sweat on her forehead, she hopes that the course will make her better prepared to take care of everyone’s safety, both for the children, herself, and not least, the child who acts out. Teacher Camilla Ayres and course leader Markus Hernes practice using the right technique to deal with acting out students Photo: John-André Samuelsen / news – For their safety, it is much more important that I know what to do in the situations I may find myself in, says she. Make eye contact, try to calm down the situation, push with a flat hand and don’t grab. Grabbing can quickly turn into coercion and violation. It is part of what they learn on the course. Sometimes it can still be necessary, says Hernes. A notice of deviation must then be written. And violent situations occur in primary and secondary schools more often now than before. This is shown, among other things, by figures that Uddanningsnytt.no has collected. Deviation against teachers Pupil chokes teacher, causing her to lose her breath Throwing objects, death threats and violence against staff Employee stabbed with scissors Hits and kicks adult. Pushes table into adult. Throws books and leans on an adult.Disobedience towards teachers.Student brought an ax to school.Employee was kicked in the crotch, hit with a stick, beaten with a handle.Student throws a handful of stones in the face of an employee and kicks. times in the mouth Bitten, spat on and clawed to the point of blood by a pupil 3rd stage Pupil hit a teacher with a bottle and took off his glasses Pupil punches and chokes a teacher Pupil stabs a teacher’s arm with a sharp pencil repeatedly Disobedience towards teachers Pupil hits teacher with a stick in the eye Pupil threatens teacher with KnivSkalling, blows against teachers and adults Pupil kicks the knee of a teacher in the head The number of cases of acting out behavior increases most in primary school and the age group 6–12 years, Oslo municipality writes in an e-mail to news. This report from STAMI, the Norwegian Working Environment Institute, shows that teachers are four times as likely to be exposed to violence at work than the average in Norwegian workplaces. Teachers more exposed to violence at work than other workers. news has checked more recent figures to see if this continues to increase, but both municipal mergers and the pandemic make it difficult to find comparable figures. There will be a change to that. A unanimous Storting has asked the Government to obtain statistics showing the development in terms of violence and threats in Norwegian schools every year from now on. Changes in education On the Bakkenteigen in Horten, Frida Skaug is in her fifth and final year of teacher training at the University of Southeast Norway. Through her studies, she has had a lot of theory and some practice. Master’s student Frida Skaug is in her fifth and final year of teacher training at the University of South-Eastern Norway. Photo: John-André Samuelsen / news – I think we have been out too little, she says. She is looking forward to getting to work, but sees that she will have to fill many roles. Now there may be changes. Cathrine Gjølstad is a subject teacher in primary education at the university. – It is a changing society and we see that there is more and more boundary-pushing behavior among students, she says. Cathrine Gjølstad is a subject teacher in primary education at the University of the Southeast. Photo: John André Samuelsen / news Now they want to take a closer look at their own teaching plan to face a new reality. After news got in touch, they started talking about how they can give the students more of what the municipalities are asking for. – There are nods in the professional community and it is something we have to look into more closely, she says.
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Learn to protect yourself and your students from violence – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
