10/09/2007
Tougher New Laws for Unruly Pupils
Leighton McAdorey from Watkins & Gunn Solicitors explains the laws that have now come into force to manage badly behaved pupils.
Under the Education and Inspections Act 2006 tougher laws have now come into force giving more powers to head teachers to deal with problematic children and placing more esponsibility on parents for their children’s actions –
• Parents of children found in a public place during school hours, without reasonable justification, can be subject to a £50 fixed penalty, notice, rising to £100 if not paid on time, and a failure to pay may result in prosecution and a £1,000 fine or a community sentence.
• Parents of excluded pupils will have to attend compulsory reintegration interviews with the head teacher to discuss strategies for managing the pupils’ behaviour.
• Schools may develop parenting contracts, which set a clear, agreed action plan for unruly pupils, before exclusion is necessary rather than after a pupil has been excluded;
• Head teachers may now apply directly to the courts for parenting orders to enforce the terms of a parenting contract and parents will be fined if they then fail to take the agreed action.
• To help prevent excluded children slipping behind an alternative source of full time education must be provided after the fifth day of any exclusion.
The school inspectors, ‘Ofsted’ have reported a significant problem with standards of behaviour. The new laws are part of the Government’s strategy to combat this and to encourage parents and teachers to work together to create a united front against bad behaviour. It remains to be seen how effective the new measures prove to be.
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