Ivan Lewis has attacked parents for opposing school detention and failing to back teachers in the drive to improve school discipline.

Speaking to a Youth Justice Board conference, the minister for young people and adult skills said: "Discipline has become a dirty word as too many teachers are expected to tolerate abuse as a regular part of their daily professional life.

Forum Response: National Youth Agency

Tom Wylie, chief executive of the National Youth Agency, told ePolitix.com: "Discipline revolves around two separate things for young people. There is the discipline that occurs in the family unit and in school. And there is the discipline which takes place within peer groups. It is important not to ignore the importance of one without the other."

Forum Response: Professional Association of Teachers

Jean Gemmell, general secretary of PAT, told ePolitix.com: "Poor pupil behaviour is a major concern for teachers and we know that many teachers have left the profession because of it.

"Recently announced government measures such as parenting classes and home-school contracts could be helpful. However, parents do need to realise that they can be held responsible for their children's failure to attend school, and that it may be necessary to maintain discipline though detentions and other punitive measures.

"We are very concerned, for example, about the number of children who truant with their parents' knowledge - and even take unauthorised time off school with their parents.

"Truancy and poor pupil behaviour are not problems that schools can tackle alone. Schools, parents and the wider community need to work in partnership."

Forum Response: Barnardo's

Pam Hibbert, principal policy officer at Barnardo's, said: "While we could not argue with Ivan Lewis that 'the lack of preventive work and investment in our most disadvantaged communities' was for many years 'shameful', his suggestion that the failings this has engendered in education should be remedied now by draconian action against parents and children is also shameful.

"We have every sympathy with individual teachers struggling to provide a high standard of education in such circumstances. But the government's response of constantly blaming parents and children, who are also struggling in difficult situations, is neither helpful or effective.

"Politicians, teachers and other professionals are able to rationalise and explain their frustrations and anger at the failure of our systems. Children - and indeed adults - whose lives are poor, marginalised and lacking opportunity do not have the same ability and may 'act out', resulting in disruptive behaviour.

"Better targeted resources, a recognition of alternative teaching methods and less emphasis on league tables for academic achievement would be far more effective in addressing the inequalities in our education system than punishing individual children and parents."

Forum Response: Association of Teachers and Lecturers

Gerald Imison, joint acting general secretary of ATL, told ePolitix.com: "ATL has been reminding government for years that effective education is a three way partnership between teachers, parents and government and I am glad that on the issue of parental responsibility ministers are now awake!

"The question of poor behaviour which affects all children in a class, will only adequately be addressed when the parents work with the teachers and not against them. ATL members feel so strongly on this issue that is the subject of resolutions to our annual conference at Easter."