Conservatives pledge to improve school discipline
The Shadow Education Secretary has criticised Labour’s record on truancy and discipline and promised the Conservatives would give head teachers greater powers.
Tim Yeo pointed to the Opinion Research Business poll, which shows that over seven in ten British adults think problems with truancy and poor discipline in schools have worsened in recent years.
Mr Yeo said: “Labour have spent £835 million on initiatives that were supposed to get truancy under control, but an overwhelming majority think that truancy and poor discipline in schools have got worse over the last few years.
“More than one million pupils are absent from school through truancy each year, and a teacher gets attacked every seven minutes. Politicians need to show parents that they understand the scale of these problems and are committed to taking action to put things right.”
Mr Yeo promised that that the Conservatives would give head teachers the final say on whether to expel pupils.
He said: “At present, head teachers can expel violent and disruptive pupils from school, only to see an appeals panel overturn their decision.
“Conservatives would scrap appeals panels and allow schools to draw up enforceable contracts with parents, which would include minimum standards for behaviour and attendance. We would give head teachers the powers they need to restore discipline to their classrooms.”
Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats have been focussing on absenteeism among teachers, which, they believe, is having a negative impact on Britain’s schoolchildren.
According to Government figures released this week, teachers took 350,000 more sick days in 2003 than in 1999.
The Lib Dem education spokesman Phil Willis said: “Our children need teachers that are fit and well and in the classroom.
“The Government must realise that their policy of piling more and more bureaucracy on teachers has to stop. Unless they do so, it is our children who will continue to lose out.”
