A NSW high school principal Andrew FitzSimons is "disturbed and disappointed" by news that one in three school principals were physically attacked last year and almost half were threatened with violence.
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"I'm a large, plump hairy man but I have felt threatened and been abused. But it is very rare and a long time ago," Mr FitzSimons, the principal of Dapto High School, near Wollongong, said.
The Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey stated principals reported being threatened with knives and guns, having furniture thrown at them, and being punched, headbutted and spat on.
Principals were just as likely to be threatened by parents as students, and those threats have been increasing with frequency during the eight-year duration of the survey.
Mr FitzSimons said the results of the survey should shock us into action.
"I'm in the front line, as is every principal, teacher and teacher's aide," he said.
"When push comes to shove I think more support for principals and teachers is required.
"If there is fear, learning disappears," he said.
"We have got to have schools as places of calm intent if you like. Fortunately for the most part that is how it has been at Dapto."
The survey led by chief researcher, Associate Professor Philip Riley, of the Australian Catholic University, also found principals face tougher job and emotional demands than the general population.
They have have higher rates of stress, burnout and difficulty sleeping.
A quarter of them work more than 61 hours a week.
Yet, despite all this, they also report higher job satisfaction.
The authors of the study surveyed 2365 Australian principals from all sectors last year.
Violence was the most worrying finding, they said, with "concerning" upward trends in NSW and Victoria.
Between 2011 and 2018, physical violence against principals, deputies and assistants has grown from seven times the rate of the population to 9.5 times.
The sources of threats of violence are parents and students in equal measure; last year, 30.7 per cent came from parents, and 32.4 per cent from students.
Some reported parents stalking them, or roaming enraged through the playground.
Violence from students ranged from spitting to headbutting.
Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
