Parents are the biggest factor in the disruptive behaviour of
school pupils, say teachers.
Almost three quarters of those asked said they would support a
tough "zero tolerance" approach to bad behaviour.
And a majority wanted the parents of excluded children to have
to stay at home to look after them.
As our economies decline, kids realize their future is dismal.
What's the point of taking school seriously if there are no
decent jobs when you graduate? Just as police states are the
solution for discontented adults, so 'greater discipline' (and
pacifying drugs) are the solution for kids.
rkm
--------------------------------------------------------
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4327670.stm
Parents blamed for unruly pupils
Parents are the biggest factor in the disruptive behaviour of
school pupils, say teachers.
A survey of 500 primary and secondary teachers for the
Teachers' TV channel found 80% blamed discipline problems at
school on a lack of parental control.
Almost three quarters of those asked said they would support a
tough "zero tolerance" approach to bad behaviour.
And a majority wanted the parents of excluded children to have
to stay at home to look after them.
The survey, published ahead of a report from the government's
working group examining problems with classroom behaviour,
also showed a third of teachers thought punishments for pupils
should be extended to their parents.
'Punish parents'
Parents have responsibilities as well as rights, and for too
long the focus has been only on their rights
- John Dunford, Secondary Heads Association
Twice as many teachers believed parents were the cause of poor
behaviour than thought it stemmed from other factors, such as
a "lack of consistent school policy" or an "unimaginative
curriculum".
The scale of the behaviour problem is also suggested by the
survey - with a fifth of teachers saying as much as 10% of
their lesson time is disrupted by poor behaviour.
Another fifth said even more of their time - 15% - was lost
because of badly-behaved pupils.
Head teachers also wanted to see a tougher line on disruptive
pupils - with almost two-thirds wanting more power to exclude
pupils.
The leader of the Secondary Heads Association, John Dunford,
supported the findings and criticised the appeals process,
under which exclusions can be overturned.
'Frustration'
"The problem is that too often heads' decisions are challenged
by parents and overruled by appeals panels which don't fully
understand what is happening in the school.
"In too many cases, appeals panels are erratic and their
judgements are based wholly on the circumstances of the
individual child, without giving enough thought to other
pupils and teachers in the school," said Mr Dunford.
Appeals should only be allowed on whether correct procedures
were followed, not on the professional decision to exclude a
pupil, said Mr Dunford.
He also supported the need for parents to recognise their
responsibilities, saying: "Parents have responsibilities as
well as rights and for too long the focus has been only on
their rights."
Behaviour management specialist and Teachers' TV presenter
John Bayley said the survey showed that it was clear that
"teachers want parents to take more responsibility for their
children's behaviour".
He added: "Relationships between home and school are central
to student discipline and teachers' frustration shows we still
have a long way to go in building a partnership between
parents and schools."
The survey was carried out by ICM for Teachers' TV, a
television channel for teachers funded by the Department for
Education and Skills.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/education/4327670.stm
Published: 2005/10/10 22:57:06 GMT
© BBC MMV
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