News

30th March 2005

Children's 'human right' to be unruly

Children as young as five are asserting their "human right" to be unruly at school, according to the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers.

The issue of discipline has dominated the first day of debate at the union's annual conference in Brighton where teachers say a lack of respect for older people and authority means pupils are less easy to shame into contrition.

Mike Wilson, a teacher from Newark and Sherwood said, "Children as young as five and six are violent and disruptive. There are children who bite, scream and throw furniture and others who continually question staff, quoting their perceived human rights."

"They say 'Why should I?' and 'It's not fair'.

"Primary schools tend to be sympathetic to the children and do not want to exclude them because they are little.

"When they misbehave in this way then I say they are no longer little."

Joy Higgins blames the 'sugar effect' for the decline in behaviour in schools.

She said,"I see my form for registration three times a day. In the morning they are fine and human and you can hold a conversation with them.

"After break they are a bit rowdy and after lunch they are bouncing off the walls."

She said that one pupil had been behaving so strangely that she asked if he was on drugs. He said he had just eaten three doughnuts.

Research has shown that cutting out sugary cakes and drinks reduces asthma attacks and improved concentration and behaviour.

"We need to ban all recognised junk food being sold in vending machines and persuade parents not to put it in lunch boxes," she said.

The union also voted unanimously to call for a reversal of the policy of including violent and disruptive pupils in mainstream schools, which they believe contributes to the lack of discipline amongst children.

Teacher Peter Tippett said that just one child with behavioural problems could disrupt the education of the rest of the class.

"They see that if a disturbed pupil convincingly defies the authority of the teacher there is nothing that the teacher can do about it and the defiance spreads," he said."

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