NEARLY 180 attacks have been carried out against teachers in local schools - in just six months.

The shocking statistics - obtained by the Daily Echo under Freedom of Information legislation - also show violent incidents involving teaching staff locally have nearly doubled in recent years.

The catalogue of assaults, injuries and acts of aggressive behaviour includes punching, kicking, head-butting and biting.

In one incident it is believed a child of five threw a chair at a teacher.

Cllr Claire Smith, Bournemouth's cabinet portfolio holder for children's services, says the local authority and schools were well aware of the increase and would not tolerate it any longer.

"We and our schools have a zero tolerance towards this sort of thing and will take extreme measures such as police involvement or taking an individual to court if an incident is serious enough," she said.

"That's the message we're trying to get across. Staff should not feel their safety is compromised. It's a terrible state of affairs.

"How can young people respect teachers if parents don't control their behaviour?"

According to the local authority statistics, there were 183 violent incidents meted out to Bournemouth school staff in 2005, which increased to 198 last year. In 2004 there were only 99.

During the past six months there have been 78 similar incidents in Poole schools - compared with 100 in Bournemouth's.

Les Kennedy, regional representative of teaching union NASUWT, said it was a growing problem.

"You see posters in railway stations and hospitals saying people will be prosecuted if staff are attacked. But how many do you see in schools? Why is it any different?" he said. "Society must be seen to protect teachers."

He says he knew of a primary school child who threw a chair at a teacher; a pupil bending a teacher's fingers backwards; and another jamming a teacher's fingers in a door.

"Mobile phones fire up the problem involving parents," he said. "A teacher says something to a pupil and within minutes the parent is at the school being aggressive because they've received a text or call from their child.

"People have forgotten children go to school to learn. They think they should be having a laugh talking to their mates."

A local head teacher, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "Our culture is fuelling disrespect for teachers. Schools are a reflection of society so it's a problem not easily solved.

"Luckily we haven't had any serious incidents here but if we did we wouldn't hesitate to prosecute."

Margaret Morrissey, Dorset-based spokeswoman for the National Confederation of PTAs, said: "It's completely unacceptable. Some children are reared on a diet of bad language and aggression so it's little wonder they do the same thing.

"Also we have allowed films, videos and computer games with aggression built in so children don't know how to draw the line between fact and fiction."