RELEASE SCHOOLS TO DISCIPLINE PUPILS (28/10/02)

Assaults on teachers have risen fourfold under Labour. Four out of five teachers have been threatened with physical violence by pupils. Pupil behaviour is one of the most cited reasons by teachers for leaving the profession.

It is therefore no surprise that across England, teacher shortages have doubled since 1997.

Conservatives at Somerset County Council have been looking at how Conservative education policy will turn this tide of disorder, and whether giving more freedom to schools is the answer to improving achievement.

At their party conference, Damien Green, Shadow Secretary of State for Education, said, "I want the school to be the most important part of our education system, not the Department for Education.

Under the current system, schools receive 17 pages Whitehall redtape every day. He criticised this centralised approach as "arrogant, it demeans the teachers, and worst of all it means that everything in education is now political."

Conservative spokesman for Education on Somerset County Council, Christopher Wolverson, commented, "disruptive behaviour undermines the ability of other pupils to learn.

"It is vital that heads and governors have autonomy within their schools. Since 1998, one third of all exclusion decisions have been over-turned by appeal panels. The huge cost to schools, whether they win or lose, discourages teachers to take action. This money would be better spent on teachers and books.

"A Conservative government would abolish Appeals Panels. The Board of Governors, that unites the parents, teachers and local residents, should have the final say on the disciplinary policy of their schools.

"Conservatives would allow schools to use their own home-school contracts as a condition for entry and continued attendance at school. We would ensure that inside the school gate, the head’s word is law.

"However, we must not isolate disruptive children. Fifty thousand children play truant every day in England. Young people who are excluded from school are 200 times more likely to go to prison later in life. These children need special attention, outside the classroom, until they show that they can behave in it. It is also crucial to give the necessary support to parents."

ENDS

1. Teacher vacancy rate (%) in maintained nursery, primary, secondary and special schools

Source: National Statistics: Teachers in Service and Teacher Vacancies 2002 (05/08/02)

2. Number of permanent exclusions, as percentage of school population

Source: National Statistics: Statistics of Education: Schools in England 2002 edition