A teacher with 30 years experience claims she has been forced out of a career she loved after being assaulted by a primary school student.

Karen Young said she was speaking out for other teachers to highlight the growing tide of violence in WA schools, as new figures show 883 incidents of student assaults on school staff were reported last year. Of those, 760 were assaults on teachers, up from 595 the previous year.

She was diagnosed with anxiety disorder after an eight-year-old boy threatened to stab her with a pen and fired staples at her and students at Ashburton Drive Primary School in Gosnells last year.

While doctors recommended against her return to the school where she had taught for almost 27 years, they said Ms Young would be fit to work at other schools.

But last week the Education Department told her she was to be retired on the grounds of ill-health and barred from working in a public school again, unless she reapplied for medical clearance.

Camera Icon One Nation senator Peter Georgiou walks with former teacher Karen Young, who was medically retired after being assaulted by a student at a primary school in Gosnells. Credit: The West Australian, Steve Ferrier, The West Australian.

Ms Young said the Year 3 student first assaulted her in April last year.

“He hit me very hard on the arm twice, left a red welt on my arm,” she said.

“And then he tried throwing a chair at me.”

She said he threw a chunk of wood at her about a month later, hitting her hip.

“He tried to stab me with a broken-off pen in my stomach,” she said.

“He was firing staples at the education assistant, the kids and myself.”

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Ms Young said she felt “gutted and betrayed” when she got the letter terminating her employment.

The department confirmed there were two incidents last year involving a primary school student acting in an intimidating way towards a teacher. The student was suspended after both incidents.

“Measures were put in place to ensure the teacher was supported, including employing an education assistant to work with the student,” a spokeswoman said.

“The teacher taught the student for a total of eight days. As a former staff member’s employment details are confidential, the department cannot comment further.”

One Nation senator Peter Georgiou, who wrote to Education Minister Sue Ellery on Ms Young’s behalf, said the department’s actions sent a negative message to young teachers if someone could get “thrown under a bus” after dedicating so much of their life to teaching.