A growing number of primary teachers report being assaulted by pupils. 

A survey from the NZ Council for Educational Research shows nearly a quarter of primary teachers occasionally feel unsafe in the classroom  - double the 12 per cent who reported this in 2016. 

NZEI President Liam Rutherford says teachers are finding themselves in a variety of situations. 

"A lot of cases we're talking about teachers that find themselves being hit, bitten or slapped."

He says the findings are deeply concering.

"The fact that you've got people that come into teaching because they want to work with students and they walk home at the end of the day feeling unsafe is certainly something that needs urgent action."