New Term, New Staff, Same Risks?

September brings fresh timetables, new pupils and new members of staff into schools and colleges across the country. It also brings back many of the same situations that education teams were managing before the summer break.

Disruptive behaviour, distressed pupils, confrontation and physical aggression do not disappear because a new academic year has begun. Yet new starters, supply staff and employees moving into unfamiliar roles may be expected to manage these situations before they fully understand the environment, the pupils or the procedures designed to protect them.

A general induction can explain where the fire exits are and who to contact if something goes wrong. It does not necessarily prepare someone for the moment a pupil becomes highly distressed, a confrontation begins to escalate or a colleague urgently needs support.

Starting work without the full picture

Experienced staff often develop an understanding of risk that is difficult to capture in a handbook. They know which situations require an early response, where tensions tend to develop and how particular pupils may communicate distress.

New employees do not yet have that knowledge. They may also arrive with very different levels of previous experience. One teaching assistant may have worked in challenging environments for years, while another may never have faced verbal aggression or a situation in which someone’s behaviour presents an immediate physical risk.

Training should give new staff a clear and consistent foundation rather than leaving them to acquire this knowledge through difficult experiences. Nick Attard, General Manager at BR Specialists, said:

“New staff want to do the right thing, but they can only work with the preparation they have been given. If somebody is expected to manage challenging behaviour, they need to understand the risks, the organisation’s procedures and the practical options available to them before they are placed in that situation.”

The risks are real, even when incidents are uncommon

The latest Health and Safety Executive figures estimate that there were 689,000 incidents of violence at work in Great Britain during 2024/25, including 370,000 assaults and 319,000 threats.

Education settings have their own pressures. Department for Education figures for England show that physical assault against an adult continued to be recorded as a reason for suspensions and permanent exclusions during the 2024/25 academic year. These figures do not describe every incident involving a member of staff, but they demonstrate that aggression towards adults remains a live issue within schools.

The purpose of highlighting this is not to portray schools as unsafe places or pupils as threats. Behaviour often has complex causes, including distress, trauma, communication difficulties, additional needs or circumstances outside the classroom.

Understanding those causes is essential. So is preparing staff to respond safely when behaviour begins to escalate.

Training should reflect the role and the setting

A common weakness in staff induction is treating safety training as a standard presentation delivered to everyone in the same way.

The risks faced by a classroom teacher may differ from those encountered by a teaching assistant, receptionist, caretaker or member of the pastoral team. Staff working in a mainstream secondary school may require different preparation from those supporting pupils in an additional learning needs setting.

A useful training plan should therefore consider:

• The behaviours staff have encountered previously
• Where and when incidents are most likely to occur
• Which employees are most exposed to those situations
• How staff are expected to summon assistance
• What de-escalation strategies are already used
• Whether employees understand the organisation’s policies and reporting procedures
• What practical skills may be needed if somebody is grabbed, struck or prevented from leaving

This is why training should begin with risk rather than with a generic course title.

Confidence comes from having options

Good training should not make staff feel that every difficult situation requires a physical response. Its purpose is to give them more options before pressure arrives.

That includes recognising early warning signs, maintaining appropriate space, using calm and purposeful communication, avoiding actions that may unintentionally escalate the situation and knowing when to seek support.

Where there is a foreseeable risk of physical aggression, staff may also need practical breakaway or personal safety skills. These techniques should be proportionate, realistic and suitable for people of different ages, builds and levels of physical confidence. A member of staff should not have to rely on strength to protect themselves.

This preparation can also support confidence in everyday interactions. When employees understand what they can do if a situation worsens, they are often better able to remain calm, communicate clearly and intervene earlier.

September start…

The beginning of the academic year offers a natural opportunity to review more than the induction schedule.

Schools and colleges can use it to consider what changed during the previous year. Patterns may be visible in incident reports, staff feedback, absences, near misses or situations that were resolved but could easily have developed differently.

Useful questions include:

• Have the risks changed since the last assessment?
• Are new starters being prepared before they encounter those risks?
• Do temporary and supply staff receive enough information?
• Are employees confident about reporting incidents and near misses?
• Does the current training reflect what staff are actually experiencing?
• Is refresher training triggered by changing needs, or simply delivered on an annual cycle?

An annual course can be valuable, but the date on the calendar should not be the only reason training takes place. Changes in staffing, pupil needs, working practices or incident patterns may all create a reason to review preparation sooner.

Give people the preparation to work safely

New staff already have a great deal to absorb at the beginning of term. Safety training should not add unnecessary anxiety, but nor should important risks be buried inside a crowded induction programme.

Clear procedures, relevant knowledge and practical skills help employees understand what is expected of them and how they will be supported. They also send an important message that their safety is taken seriously from the beginning of their employment.

BR Specialists provides tailored conflict management, de-escalation, breakaway and physical intervention training for schools, colleges and other organisations. To discuss the risks within your setting and the preparation your staff may need, contact the BR Specialists team.