The legacy of the tough kid

William had always been in trouble at school. Indeed, that was almost all I ever heard about him through my parents. He was expelled from his secondary modern school for being disruptive. He left compulsory education without qualifications. Since then he has done rather well and runs a successful business from his home in Jerusalem.

At the time, William was a complete exception to anything else I knew - he was the naughty boy whom I should never emulate, and so he was also my hero. These days, apparently, such characters are two-a-penny: it was reported recently that in every school hour on every school day, two children under the age of five are excluded from school. That's around 60 a week. Most are excluded for intimidating and violent behaviour. That we cannot contain and regulate the behaviour of such small children within a learning environment is a terrible indictment on our society. And it should make us worried that we have got the early years agenda sadly and badly wrong. There must be mechanisms that allow all children to learn harmonious social skills prior to formal learning.