Bad schools told to use tough discipline

Failing schools are being ordered to take a "zero tolerance" attitude to poor behaviour.

A report by education watchdog Ofsted said today that the schools making the biggest improvements after being placed in "special measures" were the ones that applied tough discipline policies. Schools should also set "non-negotiable" standards of conduct.

The report, based on inspectors' analysis of the factors that turn around schools, said some made such "dramatic" improvements that they were later judged to be outstanding.

Ofsted said that such improvements often followed the arrival of a new headteacher with an uncompromising approach to discipline.

The report also recommended that schools adopt traditional uniforms and house systems to change the "climate of failure and low expectations".

It added: "Values were communicated clearly to staff, pupils and students by actions and words. In about half the schools, non-negotiable behaviour was set for pupils. In the early weeks following special measures the highly visible presence of senior leaders in corridors and in classrooms was seen as important.

"This was especially so in the schools in which behaviour had been judged unsatisfactory or poor."

The report was published after the latest data on failing schools showed that the number in London rose from 25 to 29 in the first five months of the year. The figures reflect the national picture, which saw the number of schools in "special measures" - the worst schools - rise from 245 to 254 in the four months until April.