Labour hit by schools chaos film

Labour has admitted that behaviour in schools is getting worse as a shocking documentary exposes the extent of classroom indiscipline.

For Classroom Chaos, Sylvia Thomas, a temporary "supply" teacher took a hidden camera into 14 schools - more than half in London - to record the disruption that often reduced her to tears.

Her findings, to be screened on Wednesday by Channel 5, are sure to bring school discipline further up the election agenda.

Education Secretary Ruth Kelly told ITV1's Jonathan Dimbleby programme "serious incidents" such as pupils carrying knives were declining. But she said: "There is a new, worsening problem which is low- level disruptive behaviour ... back-chat, playing with phones and so forth."

Ms Kelly said she wanted headteachers of groups of neighbouring schools to decide what facilities they needed for disruptive children.

The worst experiences for Ms Thomas, who worked in tough schools in the Seventies before joining the BBC, included:

Ms Thomas said she was able to teach in only about a third of lesson time. "Most of the time, it was though I did not even exist." The schools had all received a clean bill of health from inspectors and most were in " comfortable suburbs".

Shadow education secretary Tim Collins said: "Only the Conservatives will give heads ... the control over admissions and expulsions they need."