Action to curb unruly pupils as teachers blame parents

TEACHERS demanded a return to traditional school discipline today amid warnings that "over-indulgent" parents are fuelling bad behaviour in class.

Members of the NASUWT teaching union said unruly children were being rewarded with more attention and treats for playing up as society becomes increasingly child-centred.

Teachers called for the reinstatement of traditional punishments such as detentions and the confiscation of inappropriate items including iPods and mobile phones amid concern that standards of behaviour are in decline.

The warnings came as ministers drew up advice aimed at promoting new legal powers for teachers to enforce school rules and tackle parents who contribute to bad behaviour.

Tomorrow, Schools Secretary Ed Balls will release guidelines urging teachers to use the full range of powers at their disposal. Under the guidelines parents can be handed £50 fines and even face court action if they fail to take responsibility for their children's bad behaviour in school.

Teachers would also have the right to use "reasonable force" to restrain unruly pupils and set weekend or evening detentions as well as confiscate property.

But a survey from the NASUWT union suggests 60 per cent of teachers are not aware of their powers. And the union's research also found more than half of teachers believed parents were "largely to blame" for pupil disruption.

Jules Donaldson, who is calling for urgent action on behaviour at the union's annual conference in Bournemouth, said: "Parents have a lot that they could be doing but there is a major societal problem. In America they are saying 'adults should be seen and not heard'. To a certain extent we are going down that road.

"At the end of the day parents have a responsibility for their children's behaviour and sometimes they are not willing to accept that."

He said some schools fuelled this permissive attitude, rewarding the most disruptive pupils while ignoring children who are always well-behaved.

Children see it as a "badge of honour" when they are taken out of class and sent to behaviour units, where they enjoy the reward of "toast and tea", he said. In other examples, pupils have been given burgers as treats in exchange for better discipline.

"It is good when people are rewarded for achievement but it has a negative effect if you are being rewarded for what is seen by everyone else as normal behaviour," he said.

The Government's school behaviour czar, Sir Alan Steer, is due to publish his final report on discipline tomorrow. He is expected to say behaviour is generally good but there remains "a legitimate concern" in society about the standards of behaviour of young people.