Stabbings on school staffers' minds

SCHOOL02NZH - A young boy arrives at the Browns Bay Primary School at 00803hrs June 20. Youngsters are going to school earlier as both parents head of to employment. --NOTE THE TIME COMES FROM TH

Two stabbings involving school students in Auckland resonated with staff at a Carterton primary school.

Carterton School principal Alison Woollard said staff had got together to discuss last week's stabbings.

"We've been reflecting ... on what's happened in Auckland; it's a whole society issue, not just a school issue and something we need to work on together - families, schools, community [and] police."

Preventing an incident such as a stabbing was at the top of the school agenda, she said.

"It's something we always think about, knowing that sometimes one-off incidents can occur. It's quite unexpected and shocking."

Carterton School had a number of procedures in place to deal with an act of violence on the school grounds.

Figures released by the Ministry of Education show that Wairarapa schools dished out more than 65 formal disciplinary actions last year as a result of physical assaults on classmates and at least 13 for assaults on school staff members. A handful of Wairarapa students were disciplined for taking weapons to school.

An 11-year-old boy wound up in a critical condition in hospital after he was stabbed with scissors during a fight with another pupil at Pacific Christian School in South Auckland last Tuesday.

It was reported the injured boy had been stabbed in the head.

Meanwhile, a teenager from another Auckland school was stabbed in the neck and another injured in an after-school fight in a Mangere car park hours later - just 4km from Pacific Christian School.

Police said that the two stabbing incidents had been unrelated.

The Ministry of Education sent trauma teams to both South Auckland schools to work with the victims' classmates.

Last month, a Wanganui teacher was threatened by a student with a knife after classes had finished for the day.

The student was suspended and police called in.

New Zealand Educational Institute national president Judith Nowotarski said last week's stabbings were "extraordinary", but sadly not one-off incidents.

"It's a tragedy for the children, for their families and the schools," she said.

"Events such as these leave a lasting impact and really bring to light other [problems] outside of school.

"[Violence] is usually a symptom of something else."

Ms Nowotarski had expected to see a nationwide reaction to the stabbing incidents.

"Schools want to create environments where children feel safe so when something like this occurs, it does bring to light, 'Are we doing all we can?"'

A 2013 survey of more than 700 primary and intermediate teachers by the New Zealand Council for Educational Research showed 14 per cent had occasionally felt unsafe at school, and 11 per cent in their classroom.