The Ministry of Education and the Malta Union of Teachers have agreed on three suggestions made by the union with a view to improving security in schools.

The union said it had been agreed that the Directorate for Education would hold talks with heads of schools to identify which schools urgently needed to have security personnel, and how such security personnel could help the schools.

The Directorate for Educational Services would consider how reception areas could be set up in all schools where visitors would wait.

The ministry said the union would also set up a committee to draw up a protocol of what should be done when members of staff were assaulted.

The union stressed it had a zero tolerance policy for cases of aggression and violence in schools, also including bullying and harassment of the staff.