Misbehaviour and violence in Britain’s primary schools has become a major issue for educators, according to a study by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers. About a third of the more than 1,000 teachers and support staff surveyed reported incidents of attacks from both students and parents, while a large majority said that they had to deal with problems ranging from fairly minor disruptions to physical violence.
The survey further indicates that such incidents are twice as likely in primary as in secondary schools. The problem, according to many of the participants, lies mainly with the parents, and with government regulations regarding teachers’ actions in these situations. Too many parents are providing a poor role model for their children and making matters worse by not supporting teachers’ efforts to control their child’s behaviour.
The fact is that without discipline and structure, most students are not going to learn, and many feel that the restrictions placed on educational staff prevent them from keeping that necessary discipline in the classroom. When parents of the offenders threaten educators with lawsuits and even bodily harm, what example is set for the children?
It has been suggested that parents of children who are habitually disruptive or violent and refuse to cooperate with educators should lose their child benefits, which can amount to
£20 a week. The hope is that this might motivate adults to make a stronger effort to help rather than hinder the teachers’ efforts to educate. Opinions vary on the subject, but there can be no question that a problem exists.
