Key Points

• More than 120 classroom assistants rallied outside Glasgow City Chambers demanding immediate action on rising school violence
• Unison union is leading the campaign calling for extra funding, additional staff, and proper training to tackle violent behaviour in schools
• Support staff increasingly cite violence as one of their top workplace concerns across Scottish schools
• Unison’s 2023 health and safety survey revealed a marked increase in violent incidents across all Scottish schools, reaching crisis point
• The union demands proper risk assessments after each violent incident, additional resources, de-escalation training, and special leave for staff subjected to violence
• Glasgow education support staff are described as being at “breaking point” amid concerns over education budget cuts
• Unison continues to lobby for extra funding and staff while encouraging members to report every violent incident

Glasgow (Glasgow Express) May 30, 2026 – More than 120 classroom assistants have gathered outside Glasgow’s City Chambers in a powerful demonstration calling for urgent action on escalating violence in schools, as Unison intensifies its campaign to protect school support staff from rising assaults and aggressive behaviour. As reported by the Morning Star Online, the rally represents a growing movement of education support workers who say they are increasingly put at risk while performing essential duties in Glasgow classrooms.

Why Are Classroom Assistants in Glasgow Demanding Immediate Action on School Violence?

The demonstrators, comprising classroom assistants and other education support staff, are demanding that Glasgow City Council and the Scottish government take concrete steps to address what union representatives describe as a crisis in school safety.

As reported by Mandy MacDowell of the Scottish Left Review, school staff unions are grappling with growing rates of violence incidents, with resourcing pupil support and reversing budget cuts identified as the solution.

Unison’s national campaign on violence in schools highlights that violent language and behaviour is a growing concern for school staff, with school support staff increasingly citing violence as one of their top workplace concerns.

The union’s press statement called for extra funding and extra staff in schools to tackle violent behaviour, and they continue to lobby for this requirement.

What Evidence Supports Claims That Violence in Scottish Schools Has Reached Crisis Level?

The rally comes amid data showing a dramatic escalation in violent incidents. As reported by Mandy MacDowell of the Scottish Left Review, these responses reflected the union’s 2023 health and safety survey, which highlighted a marked increase in violent incidents across all Scottish schools.

The picture was clear: violence in schools had reached a crisis point, and union members were at the sharp end.

Now, almost weekly, there are media reports of school incidents, parents concerned about their children’s experiences in schools, and increased absence levels, according to the Scottish Left Review. And incidents of violence remain at their highest levels, the report stated.

How Is Unison Structuring Its Campaign to Protect School Support Staff?

Unison continues to demand resources and training so that our members can keep themselves, their colleagues, and the pupils safe, as stated in their ongoing campaign materials. The union continues to campaign for safe schools, and they encourage their members to report every incident.

As detailed in Unison’s South Lanarkshire branch guidance, a proper risk assessment should be undertaken after each violent incident.

Additional staff should be employed where there is an identified risk of violence or where there has been a repeated incidence of violence. Appropriate Personal Protective Equipment should be available to all staff where requested.

What Specific Demands Are Classroom Assistants Making of Glasgow City Council?

The union’s demands include additional resources being provided for school support staff and teachers to assist with managing potentially violent children.

Additional training should be provided for staff, including de-escalation and keeping safe techniques, restraint techniques, working with challenging behaviour, and awareness training on neurodiverse conditions, health, medical and learning disabilities that staff must understand and work with.

Staff subjected to violent incidents should be allowed a period of Special Leave to seek counselling support, according to Unison’s position.

Make sure you report any violent incidents and complete the online incident report, the union advises, because only then will we get the full picture of the extent of violence.

Why Are Glasgow Education Support Staff Described as Being at “Breaking Point”?

The context for this rally extends beyond violence alone. As reported by Yahoo News UK, Glasgow education support staff are at ‘breaking point’ amid concern over budget cuts.

The GMB union are concerned proposed education cuts could hit vital support staff and are urging the City Council to “come clean” on looming cuts to education budgets.

This financial pressure compounds the safety concerns, as reduced staffing levels mean fewer adults available to manage challenging behaviour and respond to violent incidents.

The combination of rising violence and potential budget reductions creates what union representatives describe as an unsustainable working environment for classroom assistants and support staff.

What Role Does Incident Reporting Play in Addressing School Violence?

Unison emphasizes that firstly, it’s vital that you report all violent incidents, even if they seem minor, according to their official guidance on violence in schools.

Only through comprehensive reporting can authorities understand the full scope of the problem and allocate appropriate resources.

Ask for additional staff, resources, and training, the union advises support staff. If you suffer a violent incident then demand that you get relieved to seek medical help if you need it and be allowed to go home and time to recover, Unison states.

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What Broader Trends in Scottish Education Are Driving This Protest?

The Glasgow rally reflects a Scotland-wide pattern. School staff unions across Scotland are grappling with growing rates of violence incidents, with resourcing pupil support identified as critical.

Themarked increase in violent incidents across all Scottish schools documented in Unison’s 2023 survey demonstrates this is not isolated to Glasgow but represents a national crisis.

UNISON continues to demand resources and training so that our members can keep themselves, their colleagues, and the pupils safe across Scotland.

The union continues to campaign for safe schools throughout the country, and they encourage their members to report every incident regardless of location.

Background: The Development of Unison’s Campaign on School Violence

Unison’s campaign on violence in schools has evolved over several years, building from individual member experiences into a coordinated national movement.

The union’s 2023 health and safety survey served as a critical turning point, providing empirical evidence of the marked increase in violent incidents across all Scottish schools. This data transformed what had been anecdotal complaints into documented crisis requiring policy intervention.

The campaign’s demands have become increasingly specific and comprehensive. Initial calls for general “better safety” have evolved into detailed requirements including proper risk assessments after each violent incident, employment of additional staff where violence risk is identified, availability of Personal Protective Equipment, comprehensive training programmes covering de-escalation and neurodiversity awareness, and special leave provisions for victims of violence.

The union’s approach combines grassroots mobilisation, like the Glasgow City Chambers rally, with formal lobbying of government and council officials.

Unison receives copies of all Incident Reports submitted by staff across councils, allowing them to track patterns and build evidence for their demands. Their press statements consistently call for extra funding and extra staff in schools to tackle violent behaviour, and they continue to lobby for this.

The campaign also emphasises cultural change within schools, encouraging all staff to report every incident without fear of minimisation.

As stated in Unison’s guidance, violent language and behaviour is a growing concern for school staff, with school support staff increasingly citing violence as one of their top workplace hazards.

Prediction: How This Development Can Affect Glasgow Classroom Assistants and Students

This rally and Unison’s ongoing campaign could significantly affect Glasgow classroom assistants in several measurable ways. If the union’s demands are met, classroom assistants would gain access to formal risk assessment procedures after violent incidents, reducing the likelihood of repeated exposure to the same hazards. They would receive comprehensive training in de-escalation techniques, restraint methods, and working with neurodiverse pupils, potentially reducing the frequency and severity of violent encounters.

Additional staffing levels resulting from unfrozen budgets could reduce individual workload pressures, meaning each classroom assistant would supervise fewer pupils and have more capacity to identify and defuse potentially violent situations before they escalate. Access to special leave and counselling support would improve mental health outcomes for staff who experience violence, potentially reducing absenteeism and staff turnover.

For students in Glasgow schools, successful implementation of these measures could create safer learning environments with fewer disruptions from violent incidents. Increased adult presence through additional staff means more timely intervention when challenging behaviour emerges, potentially reducing the frequency of full-scale violent incidents. Training that emphasises neurodiversity awareness could improve support for pupils with health, medical, and learning disabilities, reducing incidents that stem from unmet needs or misunderstanding.