Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT, said:

"Sadly, we have seen an increase in unacceptable behaviour towards school staff in recent years. Guidance on this may be of some help, however we also need a clear message from government that harassment and aggression towards school staff will never be tolerated. We urge the government to go further on this.

"Every school leader deserves access to professional supervision and counselling where appropriate so an extension of this scheme is helpful. We urge the the government to ensure that all school leaders can access fully funded funded supervision wherever they work.

"But we also need the government to go beyond a focus on tackling the symptoms of stress and poor wellbeing in the school workforce. It is essential we also start tackling the root causes, including the overly punitive accountability regime that currently does so much harm."