UK NEWS

WE’LL GIVE TEACHERS POWER TO DISCIPLINE

CAMERON: Pledge to curb unruly pupils

Tuesday April 8,2008

By Macer Hall Political Editor

Comment Speech Bubble Have your say(9)

TEACHERS should get sweeping legal rights to restrain unruly pupils and impose discipline in schools, David Cameron said yesterday.

The Tory leader called for a “restoration of common sense” in classrooms and blamed a “wave of political correctness” for undermining teachers’ authority.

And he also wanted school staff to get new powers to confiscate mobile phones, music players or any items disrupting lessons.

His pledge came as the Tories unveiled new plans for curbing the wave of violence, disorder and truancy sweeping Britain’s schools.

Other ideas include scrapping the right of appeal to an independent tribunal for pupils excluded for bad behaviour. The proposals come against a backdrop of increasing indiscipline within UK schools. Figures show 140,000 pupils a year are now excluded from secondary schools for violence or persistent disruption.

Nearly one in five teachers has been threatened with a weapon, and around 100,000 youngsters aged between 10 and 17 are given custodial sentences for violent offences every year.

Mr Cameron yesterday dismissed calls for the return of corporal punishment in schools.

But he promised to sweep away regulations that ban staff from laying a finger on youngsters.

He said: “It is acceptable for teachers to be physical sometimes. I don’t mean going round walloping people. But I think more and more schools are adopting a ‘no touch’ policy. I think this is hopeless. Sometimes, if a child is tearing down a corridor, you’ve got to be able to put out your hand and grab them.

“We are treating children like adults and adults like children. We need to restore common sense.”

But John Dunford, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the plans would see more parents going to court to try to overturn their child’s exclusion leading to “more stress and cost for heads”.

Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT union, branded the ideas “old policy recycled”.

And Labour Schools Minister Jim Knight claimed the plans were “unfunded, unworkable and would make the problem worse”.

He insisted teachers already had the power to use reasonable force to control or restrain pupils to prevent injury or disorder.

CAMERON YOUR AN #'@HOLE

08.04.08, 2:00pm

This all started when they took the power to chastise from the parents in the first place. Now this divvy suggests we allow teachers to manhandle our kids if they step out of line. With that kind of power comes arrogance and abuse, and if anyone was going to put my kids straight it would be ME before any teacher.

• Posted by: ghostdog • Report Comment

LAW BREAKING ON BICYCLES

08.04.08, 12:52pm

Mr Cameron has admitted to breaking several road laws on one single journey while riding his bicycle recently. How he can now stand there pontificating on what laws should be brought in *for the rest of us to obey* is bizarre.

• Posted by: IJones • Report Comment

MORE TO DO

08.04.08, 10:18am

There is far, far more to do whilst the majority of the public will agree and support this suggestion (policy) - it wont alone cure the terrible educational lproblems we have in the UK.

Pasrents are a major cause and their inane stupid attitudes (or disinterest) in children is supported , perhaps not deliberatly or intentionally by the "types" employed in dealing and caring for children (they dont) they are mainly p.c. "oddities".

So hope he knows it (apprently labourites dont) there is far more that needs changing, altering and being researched.

• Posted by: nowyouknow • Report Comment

POWERS TO DISCIPLINE

08.04.08, 9:30am

I agree 100% but discipline should start at home well before the kids go to school

• Posted by: ANNR • Report Comment

TEACHERS DISCIPLINARY POWERS

08.04.08, 9:04am

I have read the horror stories of "yobism" permitted in UK schools by the PC Brigade & NUT (how appropriate!)

I was schooled in South Africa during the Fifties & early Sixties when "spare the rod & spoil the child" was very much the order of the day, even spending time at an Eastern Cape boarding school run on the lines of English Public Schools. Sadly, this form of discipline has also gone by the board, thanks to the SA PC brigade. We now have our own yobism.

Corporal punishment was decreed by serious misbehaviour and I recall no instances of sadism. Neither did I become a masochist. I did, however, learn what discipline meant.

Is that so wrong?

• Posted by: peter777 • Report Comment

WE’LL GIVE TEACHERS POWER TO DISCIPLINE

08.04.08, 7:24am

Tony Bliar killed off any chance whatsoever of "Discipline" when he committed Britain to the Human Rights Act and when they prevented Parents from disciplining their own children.

The only winners from Bliars Human Rights Act ? Yes youve got it in one -- THE BARRISTERS AND IT DOESNT TAKE MUCH GUESSING AS TO CERTAIN WINNERS.

• Posted by: EmperorMing • Report Comment