The Education Secretary, Jenny Gilruth must urgently deliver a statement to the Scottish Parliament, about violence in schools a Glasgow MSP has said.

Pam Duncan-Glancy, Glasgow Labour MSP, said a report on improving the safety of teachers and pupils in the workplace is now not expected to be published until the end of the year.

But with concerns growing and unions asking for the safety of pupils and teachers to be prioritised, the MSP, Labour’s education spokesperson, said faster action is needed and called on the recently appointed education secretary to outline her plans to Parliament.

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She highlighted a statement by Mike Corbett, NASUWT National Official, who said: “It’s about time the Scottish Government made strong and unequivocal statements about the rights of teachers to a safe working environment and took action to ensure that these rights are being delivered in every school.”

Duncan-Glancy said this is not new with teachers warning about violence for a number of years.

She said: “It is simply unacceptable that teachers in Scotland are going to work worried about their safety or that parents worry about the safety of their children in school.

 “This situation didn’t start overnight. For years, teaching unions have been raising the alarm and this government and successive SNP education ministers have failed to act.

 “That the planned report on this is not expected until December shows a lack of urgency from the government on this serious issue.

 “Jenny Gilruth must act fast and deliver an urgent statement to parliament outlining what she will do to keep teachers and pupils safe.”

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Responding last week to data on violent incidents in school reaching 14,000, the Education Secretary said the Scottish Government was working with councils to support teachers and deal with violent incidents.

Gilruth said: "Any form of violence in our schools is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

"As a former teacher, I fully understand the pressures faced by my ex-colleagues and the vital work they do every day in our classrooms.

"I am determined to ensure that teachers and all school staff are better supported to deal with behaviour in our schools, including reporting of incidents.

"We will continue to engage with trade unions, and later this year we will publish updated material showing the national picture in relation to this issue.

"The Scottish Government works closely with local authorities to tackle violence and bullying in schools, supported by wider investment of more than £2 million on violence prevention."