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| Behaviour experts to help schools | Behaviour experts to help schools |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Teams of behaviour experts will be sent into schools in England where behaviour is rated as merely "satisfactory", Schools' Secretary Ed Balls has said. | Teams of behaviour experts will be sent into schools in England where behaviour is rated as merely "satisfactory", Schools' Secretary Ed Balls has said. |
| Government adviser Sir Alan Steer has said in a key report on discipline that "satisfactory isn't good enough". | Government adviser Sir Alan Steer has said in a key report on discipline that "satisfactory isn't good enough". |
| Figures obtained by the Tories suggest the number of children repeatedly suspended for a fixed period is rising. | Figures obtained by the Tories suggest the number of children repeatedly suspended for a fixed period is rising. |
| But Mr Balls says the government supports head teachers where they need to permanently exclude pupils. | But Mr Balls says the government supports head teachers where they need to permanently exclude pupils. |
| Sir Alan, a former head teacher, said there was "strong evidence from a variety of sources that behaviour achieved by schools is good and has improved in recent years". | Sir Alan, a former head teacher, said there was "strong evidence from a variety of sources that behaviour achieved by schools is good and has improved in recent years". |
| But where Ofsted rates a school's behaviour as "satisfactory", local authorities should see this as a trigger for additional support, he said. | But where Ofsted rates a school's behaviour as "satisfactory", local authorities should see this as a trigger for additional support, he said. |
| He said no new legal powers to discipline pupils were needed, but that awareness of them needed to be raised. | He said no new legal powers to discipline pupils were needed, but that awareness of them needed to be raised. |
| Schools should remind parents and pupils that they also have the power to discipline for behaviour beyond the school gates. | Schools should remind parents and pupils that they also have the power to discipline for behaviour beyond the school gates. |
| FROM THE TODAY PROGRAMME More from Today programme | FROM THE TODAY PROGRAMME More from Today programme |
| Sir Alan's report recommends the use of "withdrawal rooms", or other alternative provision, to remove a disruptive child from a class until behaviour improves. | Sir Alan's report recommends the use of "withdrawal rooms", or other alternative provision, to remove a disruptive child from a class until behaviour improves. |
| Just under 30% of schools have a behaviour rating of satisfactory. | |
| "If a school is rated satisfactory, and you look at the detail - I don't find it very satisfactory, to be honest," Ed Balls told Radio 4's Today programme. | |
| "Sir Alan Steer is saying they should expect independent experts from the outside to go in to help the school to improve. | |
| "I want all schools to learn from best practice when using techniques such as withdrawal rooms," he said. | |
| "I intend to ensure all schools have the information and support they need to effectively use strategies such as withdrawal rooms for internal exclusion." | |
| 'Better to expel' | 'Better to expel' |
| The Conservatives claim the government has made it more difficult for schools to permanently exclude children from school, but Mr Balls denied this. | |
| The number of children excluded more than 10 times in a single year went up from 310 in 2004 to 837 in 2007, the figures show. | The number of children excluded more than 10 times in a single year went up from 310 in 2004 to 837 in 2007, the figures show. |
| Sir Alan's report questions the value of repeatedly excluding a child, and Mr Balls said where a child was being excluded eight or 10 times "it isn't working, and it would be much better to expel". | Sir Alan's report questions the value of repeatedly excluding a child, and Mr Balls said where a child was being excluded eight or 10 times "it isn't working, and it would be much better to expel". |
| Where weak leadership was not tackling discipline, it would be challenged, Mr Balls added. | Where weak leadership was not tackling discipline, it would be challenged, Mr Balls added. |
| "Let's use the powers so we can say to parents 'there will not be ill-discipline disrupting your children's education'." | "Let's use the powers so we can say to parents 'there will not be ill-discipline disrupting your children's education'." |
| Permanent exclusions, sometimes referred to as expulsions, have been falling over recent years, and 8,680 pupils were excluded in this way in 2006-07. | Permanent exclusions, sometimes referred to as expulsions, have been falling over recent years, and 8,680 pupils were excluded in this way in 2006-07. |
| If a child has been seriously disruptive or violent, they should be properly removed Nick Gibb, shadow schools minister | If a child has been seriously disruptive or violent, they should be properly removed Nick Gibb, shadow schools minister |
| But fixed-term exclusions, commonly known as suspensions, are rising. | But fixed-term exclusions, commonly known as suspensions, are rising. |
| There were 425,600 fixed-term exclusions of pupils of all ages in 2006-07. | There were 425,600 fixed-term exclusions of pupils of all ages in 2006-07. |
| The majority of exclusions are given to secondary school pupils - and these rose from 288,040 in the school year 2003-04 to 363,270 by the end of 2007. | The majority of exclusions are given to secondary school pupils - and these rose from 288,040 in the school year 2003-04 to 363,270 by the end of 2007. |
| Shadow schools minister Nick Gibb said: "Suspending a child from school over and over again does them no good at all. | Shadow schools minister Nick Gibb said: "Suspending a child from school over and over again does them no good at all. |
| If a child has been seriously disruptive or violent, they should be properly removed so they can get the specialist help they need to return to mainstream education." | If a child has been seriously disruptive or violent, they should be properly removed so they can get the specialist help they need to return to mainstream education." |
| Mr Balls said one or two short suspensions could help a child get back on track but accepted that a child who is repeatedly suspended should be expelled. | Mr Balls said one or two short suspensions could help a child get back on track but accepted that a child who is repeatedly suspended should be expelled. |
| Sir Alan said schools must ensure parenting contracts are used where necessary. | Sir Alan said schools must ensure parenting contracts are used where necessary. |
| And he also called on the Training and Development Agency for schools to review how initial teacher training equips new teachers to deal with challenging behaviour. | And he also called on the Training and Development Agency for schools to review how initial teacher training equips new teachers to deal with challenging behaviour. |
| Mr Balls said he had produced a leaflet together with the Nasuwt union to set out the powers available to teachers to discipline. | Mr Balls said he had produced a leaflet together with the Nasuwt union to set out the powers available to teachers to discipline. |
| 'Work together' | 'Work together' |
| Sir Alan said that school provision out of the classroom should be used as part of a planned early intervention strategy and, if possible, before incidents of serious misbehaviour occur. | Sir Alan said that school provision out of the classroom should be used as part of a planned early intervention strategy and, if possible, before incidents of serious misbehaviour occur. |
| If a child is permanently excluded from school, there can be an appeal to an independent panel to try to be reinstated. | If a child is permanently excluded from school, there can be an appeal to an independent panel to try to be reinstated. |
| The Conservatives say they would abolish these panels, but the Steer report says they are necessary to avoid schools having to justify decisions in the courts. | The Conservatives say they would abolish these panels, but the Steer report says they are necessary to avoid schools having to justify decisions in the courts. |
| They also say that potential fines for permanently excluding badly-behaved pupils mean schools are choosing to repeatedly exclude for a fixed period instead. | They also say that potential fines for permanently excluding badly-behaved pupils mean schools are choosing to repeatedly exclude for a fixed period instead. |
| Mr Balls said discipline in schools had improved in the last few years but where there were problems, teachers should be tougher and have the support of governors and parents. | Mr Balls said discipline in schools had improved in the last few years but where there were problems, teachers should be tougher and have the support of governors and parents. |
| "If you expel the pupil and then they are out on the streets or in the parks, it's a different kind of problem for society and that's not good enough," he said. | "If you expel the pupil and then they are out on the streets or in the parks, it's a different kind of problem for society and that's not good enough," he said. |
| "These kids should be in education and so we are also saying schools should work together even if a pupil is excluded." | "These kids should be in education and so we are also saying schools should work together even if a pupil is excluded." |