And of the 1,000 teachers surveyed, a quarter said a pupil had attacked them.
Over a third of teachers in primary schools said they had experienced physical aggression, compared with 20% in secondary schools.
The government says teachers have sufficient means at their disposal to punish disruptive pupils.
Almost 60% of those questioned for the Association of Teachers and Lecturers' survey thought pupil behaviour had worsened during the past five years.
The survey questioned over 1,000 teachers from primary and secondary schools.
The responses appear to suggest that bad behaviour is not the preserve of secondary schools.
What is going on?
One teacher at a primary school in England said: "A six-year-old completely trashed the staff room, put a knife through a computer screen, attacked staff and we had to call the police.”
"Another six-year-old attacked staff and pupils with the teacher's scissors."
Another teacher said: "I and other members of staff were physically assaulted daily by a five-year-old (including head-butting, punching).
"He was taken to the head to 'calm down' then brought back to apologise.”
We are not talking about teenagers here, these are five and six year olds, what kind of parental control is being used? Bugger all by the look of it.
But most teachers (90%) reported that "disruptive behaviour" constituted talking in class.
"Persistent low-level rudeness and disruption seems to have become a fact of life in education today and no longer raises eyebrows or seems to merit special attention," said Dr Ian Lancaster, a secondary school teacher from Cheshire.
Old fart that I may be at least we had respect for teachers; and that I think is the problem, no respect.
The children at school now are the offspring of Thatcher’s generation, remember Thatcher? If you want something take it, sod everyone else, and get what you can. Thatcher.
The media go on about the education system and how it has “dumbed down”, the schools are blamed and the teachers are blamed, the parental role in the “system” seems to have been largely ignored, kids spend seven hours a day at school and seventeen hours a day at home.
And yes I know that parents can be sent to prison for not sending their children to school, but forcing a child who obviously doesn’t want to be educated, and behaves like a yob when they are in school is not the answer.
One child can damage the education of thirty other children (or whatever the class size is nowadays) and if that child is allowed to disrupt classes day after day then education is dumbing down because the other twenty nine pupils in that class will not be able to fulfil their potential.
Some education is boring (at least it was in my day-Dammit, I said it!), but that is what out of school hours are for, to learn, to read and explore the things that do interest kids, and that is the role of parents in education-to encourage, and teach respect, to instil into their children that without an education kids will be at a disadvantage when it comes to employment, and the rest of their lives.
Perhaps I look at the world through distorted glasses but I know kids that want to learn, and parents that want their kids to learn and take pride when achievements are made and good manners are used, and I can see the kind of adults they will be, responsible and caring, adults that will pass on their outlook to life to their kids.
"Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for the rest of his life." Chinese proverb
Angus
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