SEND transport staff report rising violence from pupils

According to the BBC, several drivers and transport assistants working on SEND routes have described being bitten, punched and spat at while carrying out their duties, prompting calls for urgent safety improvements.

Emma, a transport assistant employed by Leeds City Council, said she was bitten three times by the same eight-year-old boy during a journey last year, leaving her requiring hospital treatment and a tetanus injection. She said the attack left her with a permanent scar on her breast.

“It’s not what we signed up to do,” she said. “We signed up to provide a service, we didn’t sign up to be used as punch bags.”

Emma said violent incidents have become a source of daily anxiety for staff. “You have to give yourself a pep talk in the morning because of what might happen,” she said, adding that some pupils pull hair or punch assistants in the face without warning.

She claimed it took six weeks for the council to intervene and suspend the boy from travelling after the incident. In her view, pupils who assault staff should face immediate travel bans. “Incidents need to be dealt with there and then,” she said. “It cannot be a case of ‘let’s just see how it goes’.”

Last month, drivers and assistants transporting SEND students staged strike action over safety concerns. The Unite the Union said workers lacked essential protective equipment, including restraints, and had not received adequate first aid training or risk assessments.

Union representative Julia Inman, who has worked in passenger transport for 16 years and is also employed by the council’s passenger transport service, said violent outbursts had increased in frequency and severity.

“They’re getting bitten, people have had lumps taken out of their arms and have had to have plastic surgery,” she said. “Staff are spat at on a daily basis, hit and punched — and that’s not just the assistants, it’s the drivers too.”

Inman attributed the situation to cost-cutting pressures, warning that safety should not be compromised in what she described as a vital public service.

In response, a spokesperson for Leeds City Council said it was aware of concerns and was working closely with trade unions and council colleagues to improve safety on SEND transport services. The authority said all staff receive training, with refresher courses delivered every three years, and reiterated its commitment to supporting young people with special educational needs and disabilities in accessing education.