The New England region, with 53 incidents in the first three termsof last year, compares very favourably with the nine other school districts across the state, some of which hit the 200 mark, and beyond, with one term still to be reported.

Of course, no one likes to hear of anything in our schools that has the potential to harm students or teachers, and those within the education system are obviously doing everything they can, every day, to minimise that risk.

Many local schools lock the majority of gates around their campuses during school hours now to minimise the entry and exit points, in an effort to keep a better tab on those coming and going.

Schools practise lock-down drills now just as they do fire alarms.

Another stat that stands out is just how much incidents have risen – more obviously in the higher-density districts of Sydney and Newcastle – in the past 10 years.

For example, the Hunter/Central Coast in 2005 recorded a total of 89 incidents, compared with 200 for the first three terms of last year.

Of course, population growth in these areas has to be taken into account, but it is also likely a reflection of the upward trend in violent incidents and drug offences right across our society.

And could the perception that discipline has taken a back seat in many Australian households, along with a respect for authority figures, have anything to do with an increase in serious incidents in our schools?

Once upon a time, a student would be terrified of going home to tell their parent about getting into trouble at school, because they knew they were likely to get into even more trouble at home.

Now, the parent is more likely to arrive at the school and abuse staff for disciplining their naughty child.

With more than 750,000 students across 2200 public schools throughout our state though, the ratio of reportable incidents is very low, however, with many schools having nothing to report.

Our schools and teachers do a fantastic job, sometimes under trying circumstances, and it’s up to parents and the wider community to get behind them with all the support they need.