Schools suffering real behaviour problem, warns minister Gove

In some cases, poor teachers and unruly pupils have been asked by schools to stay at home on Ofsted inspection days, the Education Secretary said.

Bad classroom behaviour is still the main reason why teachers leave the profession, and why many people are turned off teaching, he added.

According to latest figures, almost 1,000 children are suspended every school day for abuse and assault, while nearly a third of all permanent exclusions in secondary schools are due to persistent disruptive behaviour.

Speaking as the Government published new guidance for schools on dealing with bad behaviour, Mr Gove suggested that Ofsted was not seeing the full picture during inspections.

He said he had been told by teachers that “weak teachers are invited to stay at home, we make sure disruptive pupils don’t come in, and the best teachers are on corridor duty. We put on our best face for inspections.”

Two thirds of teachers believe that bad behaviour is driving staff out of the classroom, according to the Department for Education.

“We do know from recent evidence that the single biggest reason (for teachers leaving the profession) is because of poor behaviour,” Mr Gove said.

“The biggest barrier to entry is the fear of not being safe in the classroom. These are both indicators of a real behaviour problem.”

The Government yesterday announced it is appointing an expert adviser on behaviour, headteacher Charlie Taylor who has been a behavioural specialist for more than 10 years, working with children of all ages.

Under the updated guidance, which has been reduced from 600 pages to 50, school heads will be able to press criminal charges against pupils who make false allegations about teachers in England and they will be able temporarily or permanently to exclude pupils who make false allegations.

The guidance is based on current laws, and is likely to be updated if and when the coalition’s Education Bill, which includes measures to extend teachers’ search powers, is passed.

Yesterday, it was suggested that schools should address every area, from uniform to recruiting educational psychologists and psychotherapists to combat bad behaviour.

Mr Taylor said school uniforms can “set the tone for a school”.

Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: “False allegations have blighted many teachers’ careers and lives. The cost to teachers who have been wrongly accused cannot be underestimated.

“There is much to welcome in the new guidance, including the focus on speedy resolution and a common sense approach. However, criminalising children and young people who have wrongly accused a teacher is a power that is unlikely to be used by head teachers.”

Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT teaching union said: “Giving powers to headteachers to prosecute pupils for making a false allegation appears at first to be a tough sanction. However, there is no information on whether making a false allegation is now to become a criminal offence, how this will protect teachers from children who are under the age of legal responsibility and what the penalties will be if such a prosecution is mounted.”