A FIFE MSP has called for more resources to help tackle bad behaviour in the Kingdom's classrooms.

Alex Rowley wants action after frequently raising the issue of bad behaviour and violence in recent months.

He has accused the Scottish Government of being "in denial" and of failing to take necessary steps to support pupils, teachers and parents.

“I have become increasingly worried by the number of incidents being raised with me by parents and I have raised these concerns again and again with the education authority and in parliament," he said.

"Whilst the majority of children attend school and behave, sadly a growing minority are causing mayhem and it seems some schools don’t have the capacity to manage the chaos that is caused.

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“I have spoken with dozens of teachers over the last year and I sense their frustration at the lack of support available in the school, the classrooms and the playgrounds.

"It is no wonder that we are seeing record numbers of teachers leaving the profession and record numbers of compensation payments being made to teachers who have been assaulted. The impact of all of this is declining standards and achievement as Scottish education spirals down the way leaving too many children unprepared for life after school."

The Labour politician said he had been hopeful after the government announced three emergency summits to get to grips with the problems being faced in schools.

However, after a statement made in parliament at the end of November by Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth, he said no meaningful actions were offered to tackle the problem.

"Teachers up and down Scotland will be dismayed that point one of a five-point plan is to make a plan," he added. "How many plans will it take for teachers to get the support that they need? Does the cabinet secretary not recognise that the Government will have to commit far more resources to addressing the challenges in our schools?”

Mr Rowley is calling for more resources to put more teaching support staff into the classrooms, more school assistants and an end to the cuts in youth services.

He has also said there need to be a review of exclusion policies, of the use of phones in the classroom and what are the repercussions for children who are out of control.

“Schools don’t hold all the solutions, but I do believe we cannot ignore the issues and there needs to be a wider discussion on what needs to happen and this must include teachers, parents and pupils," he added.

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"Education is too important to allow this situation to continue.”

Education minister Ms Gilruth set out a five-point plan to try and tackle the issue of violence in schools late last year.

She said the Scottish Government was also reviewing its anti-bullying guidance with a working group set up to help with that process.

She explained: "The first point is that there will be a national plan for action, which will be developed in partnership with key stakeholders and informed by headteachers from Scotland’s schools.

"Secondly, there will be support that is spearheaded by our new chief inspector to ensure that HMI inspections document an accurate picture of behaviour in Scotland’s schools to support improvement.

"Thirdly, there will be funding for staff training to allow our local authorities to best support their teams.

"Fourthly, we have made a call for more accurate and consistent reporting of incidents in our schools, and finally, there will be a dedicated approach to responding to issues surrounding misogyny."

Speaking in November last year, Fife EIS spokesperson Graeme Keir said schools in Fife were experiencing violent and aggressive incidents every week.

"Ten years of austerity meant school systems and staffing has been cut to the bone, and many schools still lack the basic, clear, agreed policies to deal with incidents," he said.

"Even where clear policies are in place, cuts in staffing and teacher workload means incidents are often not dealt with in the way we would want.

"It needs politicians and education leaders at all levels to continue to work hard to reduce the number of these incidents."