A TOTAL of 78 kids have been kicked out of school for attacking teachers in the last two years, the Times can reveal.

Shocking figures show that teaching staff in Irvine and Kilwinning schools have been set upon a shameful 67 times by unruly pupils - with almost 80 pupils being removed from their school for the attacks.

But education chiefs say, despite the shocking figures, the number of pupils being kicked out has ‘fallen significantly’ in recent years thanks to new policies put in place.

Council chiefs also say that the overwhelming majority of attacks were verbal assaults - with only a small number of physical attacks reported.

Figures obtained through Freedom of Information by the Irvine Times show that between August 2012 and June 2013 48 attacks on teachers were reported with 26 of these in Kilwinning schools and 22 in Irvine.

The following school year - August 2013 to June 2014 - 19 attacks on staff were reported, with 14 of those in Irvine and five in Kilwinning. Of the 48 attacks in the 2012/2013 academic year 28 were, shockingly carried out by primary school children, while the remaining 20 attacks took place in secondary schools.

The following year nine attacks were carried out by children in primary schools while 10 were by secondary pupils.

Of those 78 children expelled or suspended from school - 43 in the 2012/2013 academic year and 35 in 2013/2014 year - three were reported to Police Scotland and/or the Children’s Panel.

A spokesperson for North Ayrshire Council said: “Schools in North Ayrshire have invested significant time and resources to introduce, where appropriate, alternatives to pupils being excluded from school. This has resulted in the total number of exclusions falling significantly in recent years.

“Of the 78 pupils reported, 71 of these temporary exclusions are as a result of pupils speaking inappropriately to or verbally abusing staff.

“Seven young people in the three secondary schools have been temporarily excluded for physical attacks on staff. Our schools will continue to work with pupils and their families to ensure the learning environment is a safe and welcoming place for young people and staff.” Gordon Smith, North Ayrshire Secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), which acts as a union for teachers, said: “Any assault on a teacher is a serious matter which should be reported to the Police. In addition, the employer has a responsibility to ensure that schools are safe environments for all who teach and learn there: although some violent incidents are unforeseen, in some cases they are carried out by repeat offenders, and it is important that schools have the resources and staffing to reduce this sort of behaviour as far as possible.” A spokesman for the EIS nationally said parental support is crucial to ensure pupils behave well whilst in the classroom.

He added: “Clearly, one attack on a teacher in school is one attack too many and so all incidents of this type must be dealt with swiftly and appropriately by the school and the local authority. Teachers, like all workers, deserve to work in safety and security without being threatened or subjected to physical attack. While the majority of pupils in schools are well behaved and eager to learn, there is a small minority who persistently display poor behaviour in the classroom.

“The support of parents continues to be crucial in ensuring that pupils behave appropriately while they are at school.”