Opinion: Soapbox - Why Government behaviour plans are flawed

However, it is far from clear whether the Government's latest proposalsto improve behaviour will expect this absolute standard of schools.

Ruth Kelly speaks of using new powers with the backing of parents: "Onlythen can we make good behaviour the norm." But has she consideredwhether she can actually legislate for parental backing, rather than forparental compliance?

If mainstream schools refused to tolerate bad behaviour, there would berevealed a group for whom conventional education is not really an optionwhile it depended on their parents.

And if these proposals are about anything, they are about helping thoseyoung people who cannot benefit from school because their attitudes andbehaviour act against others' schooling as well as their own. Thesechildren are the most difficult to help and the easiest to leave behind.Little has been done to insist that those who bring children into theworld must prepare them to interact harmoniously and effectively withother pupils and their teachers once they reach the age of five. Icannot see the proposals achieving this.