Millions for more school 'sin-bins'

Gordon Brown is expected to promise tens of millions of pounds today to help schools win the battle against unruly pupils.

Education Secretary Estelle Morris is hoping for a "down payment" on the £500 million she has bid for in this summer's spending review to fund more learning support units in schools, the so-called in-school "sin-bins" where disruptive pupils can be sent to "cool off".

The cash is intended to signal that education remains at the top of the Government's agenda, even though the NHS is expected to be the main beneficiary today.

The Government has already created 1,000 sin-bins, including 200 in primary schools, where disruptive pupils can be taught separately until ready to return to mainstream classes.

The initiative aims to nip bad behaviour in the bud, before discipline deteriorates to the point where children have to be excluded. It is credited with helping reduce the numbers thrown out of school from 12,700 to just over 8,000 in the past five years.

Ms Morris is stressing that strategies to improve behaviour in schools lie at the heart of her drive to raise standards.

Her £500 million shopping list also includes money to recruit more learning mentors to switch disaffected pupils back on to learning.

But she is proposing to change the law to make it easier for schools to exclude the hard core of disruptive youngsters, and wants extra funds to create more places in special schools which educate excluded pupils.

She also wants to fulfil her promise to reduce teachers' workload and stave off the threat of industrial action in schools this autumn.