Exclusive:Private security firm has fitted 150 panic buttons in Scottish schools
A private security firm has said it has fitted panic buttons in schools across Scotland amid rising concerns about classroom violence
A security firm has fitted 150 panic button s in Scottish schools amid rising concerns about classroom violence.
It comes as new figures show Scots teachers report higher levels of violence than any other part of the UK.
Safety experts said they had put security devices in education settings across the country.
These can be either digital buttons on mobile phones and computers or physical buttons to call for help in an emergency.
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Figures show school staff in Scotland are the most likely in the UK to feel their working environment has become more dangerous over the course of their careers.
Nearly half - 44 per cent - of the teachers asked said schools had become more dangerous places since they started working – the highest of any UK nation or region.
The average was 36 per cent.
Some 79 per cent said they had seen pupils be abusive towards staff.
This sets the highest figure in the UK with Yorkshire and Humberside second on 51 per cent.
Scottish school workers were also the most likely to report witnessing pupil-on-pupil aggression at 72 per cent of respondents, compared to the UK average of 45 per cent.
Scotland was second only to Northern Ireland on pupils’ parents acting abusively towards school staff, and well ahead of the national average.
Mike Corbett, NASUWT Scotland National Official, said the findings reflect trends in the union’s own research, which have consistently found levels of concern from teachers over pupil behaviour to be higher in Scotland than in the UK as a whole.
“We would suggest that policies such as the encouragement to schools to adopt restorative behaviour approaches with no real focus on wider consequences for pupils have contributed to teachers reporting higher levels of disruptive behaviour,” Mr Corbett said.
“These policies have largely failed both pupils and school staff and despite the introduction of the National Action Plan on Relationships and Behaviour in 2024, little has so far improved on the ground in schools.”
Security firm Little Green Button carried out the research ahead of new safety requirements being introduced through the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, otherwise known as Martyn’s Law.
Martyn Hett was one of the 22 people killed in the 2017 Manchester Arena terrorist attack.
The survey found that 89 per cent of school workers north of the border felt their school was not prepared for a major incident, compared to around half across the UK.
Alex Jay, CEO of Little Green Button, said: “These findings paint a concerning picture for the state of safety and security in Scottish schools.
“Pupil aggression, abuse from parents, and even harassment from members of the public are much higher than the national average according to our survey, yet preparedness and funding for these types of incidents appear to be lacking in a significant way compared to other parts of the UK.”
In 2023 a head teacher of a school in the east end of Glasgow revealed the school had introduced a "red button" system to summon backup to classrooms when pupils become aggressive or violent.
David McArthur, head teacher of Lochend Community High School, said teachers could occasionally “panic” and use the red button or walkie talkies to summon help.
A Scottish Government spokesman said that research shows “most pupils are well behaved”.
“We have been working with partners including COSLA and teaching unions to implement the Relationships and Behaviour in Schools Action Plan to address the current challenges,” he said.
*This article was amended to reflect that Little Green Button has installed 150 devices in Scottish schools and not in 150 Scottish schools.
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