Disruptive pupils to be sent to 'sin bins'

Badly behaved schoolchildren will be banished to local "sin bins" in a new drive to tackle poor classroom behaviour.

In her first major speech on school discipline, Education Secretary Ruth Kelly today promises new powers to tackle rowdy pupils.

These include setting up "sin bins" or learning support units for disruptive pupils. Under the scheme head teachers will be able to send pupils to the units on a temporary basis until behaviour improves.

Ms Kelly is also promising to hand school inspectorate Ofsted greater powers to deal with schools with a poor discipline record. Unsatisfactory schools will be threatened with an inspection every year - rather than the customary five-year period - if behaviour does not improve.

The Government also wants councils to issue more parenting orders against parents of badlybehaved pupils. Department for Education officials described the announcement as part of the Government's new "zero tolerance" approach to school discipline.

The issue has pushed its way to top of the election agenda, with the Conservatives promising a new five-point plan to tackle disruptive behaviour. Conservative leader Michael Howard will today reaffirm his party's promise to exclude permanently persistently disruptive pupils. The policy also gives heads and governors complete control over admissions.

But the Department for Education claims temporary exclusions are just as effective. "This is about prevention," said one source.

Ms Kelly is expected to tell a conference of newly qualified heads in Blackpool: "Any poor behaviour is too much and should not be tolerated. We need to re-draw the line on what is acceptable."