Press Release

Good the Conservatives are treating seriously problem behaviour in schools, but many proposals not properly thought through - ATL

7 April 2008

Dr Mary Bousted, Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) general secretary, said:  “We are pleased the Conservatives are treating problem behaviour in schools with the seriousness it deserves, but many of their proposals (in “Giving Power back to teachers”) seem poorly thought out.  The document is full of headline grabbing phrases about excluding children from schools but without any detail on what should be done with excluded pupils, or on how to tackle the underlying problems which have led to their poor behaviour. 

“Much of the damaging behaviour relates to social problems outside school, and taking away rights from parents and children will only damage already fragile relationships between them and schools.

“Giving teachers the power to physically remove pupils from classes, while at the same time saying pupils should only be punished if they act unreasonably, would not protect teachers.  It would simply create ambiguity and leave teachers unsure of what situations were unreasonable.  And teachers should not be required to search pupils - that is a job for the police.

“All teachers need high quality initial teacher training and continuing professional development on behaviour management, including strategies to de-escalate tension in schools and work with other professionals in social and health services to deal with issues that upset young people or have an impact on their education. 

“Teachers want to be able to teach, and the vast majority of pupils want to be taught.  The Conservatives need to give more thought to how to help schools eliminate disruptive behaviour and create mutual respect between school staff and pupils.”