'I had to move school due to pupil threats of violence'- Norfolk teacher
New work shows school leader think pupils behaviour has gotten considerably worse over since 2021
A local teacher tells us she recently moved schools because of constant threats of violence from pupils, there
It's as research says rising behaviour problems from children is playing a significant role in why staff are leaving
Analysis from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) also found teachers who say behaviour is worse in their school are more likely to leave teaching, as well as more likely to consider leaving.
Department for Education (DfE) research shows teachers and leaders think pupil behaviour at their school has gotten considerably worse since 2021/22.
Teachers reporting they spend too much time dealing with behaviour incidents has also risen from 50% in 2022 to 59% in 2025.
"One of my colleagues was nearly hit in the face by a male student"
Amy Clarke now works at SEND school here:
"At my previous workplace it was around Andrew Tate, when that was at the height of social media.
"We were told by senior staff not to give air to it. One of my managers called me emotional for getting upset and wanting something to be done about it.
"One of my colleagues was nearly hit in the face by a male student. The only thing that help her was the fact that she was a bit shorter than the pupil realised and he just punched the door-frame slightly above her. He was a sixteen year old boy.
"I think that social media is predominately fuelling all of this, as well as unrestricted access to the internet.
"There's figures about if 13 year-old boys sign up to social media, what will feature in their algorithms is misogynistic content and if they click on one video, that's all they're going to be shown".
"The profession can ill afford retention rates to further worsen"
Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: "This research underlines the fact that even a small increase in challenging behaviour from some pupils can have a big impact on the lives of teachers and school leaders.
"Where staff are spending significant amounts of time dealing with incidents caused by poor behaviour, not only can this be difficult to manage but it also adds to already high workloads.
"The links to lower job satisfaction and wellbeing are concerning because the profession can ill afford retention rates to further worsen."
Dealing with disruptive behaviour as a top priority could help schools tackle teacher shortages, NFER workforce lead Jack Worth said.
NFER recommended the Government should further develop how it is supporting schools to improve behaviour and meet pupils' additional needs.
The analysis also found that teachers who felt like they were spending too much time on lesson planning were more likely to leave the profession.
Teachers more satisfied with their pay were less likely to leave, and NFER recommended the Government should match teacher pay rises to the growth in average earnings outside the profession.
"Teacher retention remains a crucial issue for education policy," Mr Worth added.
"Even small improvements can have a major impact on teacher supply by reducing vacancies and the pressure on initial teacher training recruitment.
"Improving teacher supply, particularly in secondary schools where recruitment and retention challenges are most prevalent, can ensure pupils receive the high-quality education they deserve."
Schools had been facing a classroom teacher shortage crisis since the pandemic, which the Government pledged an additional 6,500 teachers by the end of parliament to tackle.
It has made some progress on this, with the number of people starting teacher training up by more than 10% in September.
What's the Government planning to do?
The Government announced in January the upcoming Schools White Paper will include measures that will result in more suspended pupils staying in school under supervision rather than be sent home if they have been suspended for non-violent reasons like disruptive behaviour.
It also announced a further tranche of schools which will serve as attendance and behaviour hubs to support other schools in improving attendance and behaviour.