CYP Now - Discipline in schools

A report by the National Union of Teachers has found the number of schoolchildren carrying knives, guns or drugs has risen in the past seven years. Cathy Wallace looks at the powers schools have to deal with such behaviour.

ENGLAND

Currently, schools have the power to discipline children and impose punishments, confiscate items, discipline pupils outside the school site such as on the way to school, search pupils for weapons and use physical force to restrain unruly pupils.

All schools, including academies, will have to form behaviour partnerships under new legislation announced by Children's Secretary Ed Balls. At the moment, 97 per cent of secondary schools are in behaviour partnerships, which involve clusters of schools pooling their knowledge to deal with bad behaviour and intervene early.

Parent support adviser roles are also being developed and will target schools with the worst behaviour.

SCOTLAND

A discipline stakeholders group was set up by the Scottish government in 2004, along with local authority body Cosla and teachers' unions.

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