Support assistant in Greenock school was attacked by pupil and knocked unconscious

The assault at All Saints Primary is one of a number of serious incidents said to have taken place in the school's language and communications unit, raising alarm bells with parents.

In what has been described to the Telegraph as a 'brutal' assault the staff member was kicked in the head in a classroom in front of shocked pupils.

The woman had to be taken to hospital in an ambulance and the Tele understands she has not returned to school.

Meanwhile a ten-year-old boy from the unit was also injured in a separate incident when he was struck over the head with a chair.

Mums and dads have now told the Telegraph they are concerned for the safety of their children in the wake of the incidents.

One parent said: "We all received letters to say there had been a serious incident on the day the pupil support assistant was assaulted.

"My child was so upset, they love their teachers.

"This member of staff was attacked in front of them.

"I have been told since by the school that they can no longer guarantee the safety of my child or their staff.

"My child has been at the unit for a long time but it has changed recently.

"It is a unit for children with communications and language problems, not behavioural.

"These children are so vulnerable and I feel we need to raise awareness of what has happened and highlight it.

"This should not be happening in our schools.

"Our children, and the staff, should be protected."

The Tele understands the boy involved in the incident was taken out of the school by his parents.

An inspection of the unit has taken place and a formal complaint was lodged with education bosses by the parents of the ten-year-old boy who was attacked.

It is understood the complaint has been upheld.

The communications and language unit at All Saints is for children who have autism or other additional support needs but many of them also attend mainstream school.

The concerned parent who spoke to the Tele added: "I believe the head teacher really cares about the children, genuinely cares, and she is a good leader and all the staff in the unit are brilliant.

"They know the children and care about them and the children love them.

"This shouldn't be happening to them.

"There are too many children in the unit now.

"They have more and more children, with the same number of staff to cope.

"Staff don't know what to do.

"They are coming to work and getting assaulted.

"The hands of the head teacher and the school are tied, there is nothing they can do but let children responsible back into class.

"The education department needs to change its policies."

Inverclyde Council today acknowledged there had been problems at the unit but defended staffing levels.

A spokesperson for the local authority said: “The language and communications base at All Saints Primary School is for pupils who have difficulties with communication, social skills, their understanding of social signals and how they interact with other pupils.

"This includes children who are on the autistic spectrum.

“The school environment can sometimes be very difficult for pupils with these issues and this can lead to distress.

"This is why the base has a very high ratio of staff to pupils.

“There have been issues at the base and additional support, training and staffing have been put in place to resolve them.

"Staff at the school are also working very hard with families and partners to ensure that all the pupils' needs are met in a safe and supportive environment.”