The number of Irish primary school children behaving violently is on the increase, according to new research.

A study carried out by the Irish Primary Principals Network (IPPN) revealed that levels of depression among pupils is also a concern for many head teachers.

Of the 1,050 principals surveyed, 410 said that violent behaviour is more common than it previously was.

IPPN national director Sean Cottrell told the Irish Independent that bullying is also increasing.

"But it's not the bullying of old when they ganged up on an individual. It's more insidious and mainly takes the form of cyber-bullying," he commented.

He added that the challenges faced by young people today are very different to those faced by their parents.

Peter MacMenamin, general secretary of the Teachers' Union of Ireland, recently suggested that government education cutbacks have contributed to the rise in bad behaviour.

Written by Donal Walsh

Comments