HC Deb 28 July 1988 vol 138 cc397-401W
Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he now expects to receive the report of the committee of inquiry into discipline in schools; and when he hopes to publish it.

Mrs. Rumbold

I refer the right hon. Member to my right hon. Friend's reply to the Member for Blackburn (Mr. Straw) on 29 April at columns281–84.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science which bodies were specifically asked by the committee of inquiry into discipline in schools to answer questions other than those which featured in the public advertisement; and what questions these bodies were asked.

Mr. Rumbold

All those invited to submit evidence were asked to address the four questions in the public advertisement. Additional, more specific, questions were addressed to all local education authorities and all institutions providing teacher training in England and Wales. The additional questions for local education authorities were as follows:

Prevalence

Do you have any statistical (or other) evidence indicating prevailing levels of misbehaviour by pupils? (e.g. records of suspensions and exclusions and the reasons for them, truancy etc.)

Can any local trends be identified from this evidence? If so, what are they?

Policies

  • Does your authority have a stated policy on school discipline? (If it has, a copy would be very useful.)
  • Are schools encouraged to publish such policies? (Examples of school policies would also be very valuable.)
  • Does your authority provide schools with guidelines covering criteria to be used when considering the exclusion of a pupil? (If it does, a copy would be helpful.)

In-service training

Are teachers in your authority involved in any in-service training specifically related to classroom control? (Some details of courses and numbers involved would be helpful.)

Alternative provision for disturbed/disturbing pupils

  • What alternative provision (support teams, on or off-site units etc.) is made by your authority for such pupils?
  • How many pupils are involved in such provision compared with your mainstream primary secondary school population?
  • What criteria are used to identify pupils requiring such provision?
  • What would your assessment be of the costs and benefits of this provision for your authority?

The additional questions for institutions providing teacher training were as follows:

Initial Teacher Training

Do your current courses deal with issues of behaviour and discipline through:

  • specific core units or modules?
  • optional units or modules?
  • the permeation of the whole course?
  • the school experience component of the course?
  • a combination of these?

Do you provide guidelines for staff and/or students on these issues? If so, what form do they take?

What methods are used to help students develop skills and attitudes which will be effective in promoting good behaviour and preventing disruptive behaviour by pupils? Please give examples.

Is it possible to distinguish the course time spent on this from that spent on the development of more general classroom management skills? If so, please quantify it in relation to total course hours.

Do courses contain practical advice on how to handle disruptive incidents? If so, what form does it take?

Does a specific member of staff have responsibility for advising on and monitoring training in these areas?

Do any arrangements exist for students to gain experience of schools and classes in which pupils' behaviour may be difficult? If so, what are they?

How are students prepared for and supported through such situations if they are encountered in their school experience?

Are students helped to understand the perspectives of parents in relation to their children's behaviour? If so, how is this achieved.

How are students made aware of the range of professional support available within schools and from outside agencies to help in managing the behaviour of pupils?

In-service Training

Does your college/department currently run or contribute to INSET courses specifically related to the management of pupil behaviour? If it does, please give details of course content, teaching methods and participants.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many individuals have submitted evidence to the committee of inquiry into discipline in schools.

Mrs. Rumbold

The committee has received 360 letters from individuals, including groups of staff within schools and social service departments. Nine letters were signed by more than one individual. The total number of signatories is 465.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the organisations which have submitted evidence to the committee of inquiry into discipline in schools.

Mrs. Rumbold

The organisations which have submitted evidence to the committee are:

Local Education Authorities

  • Avon
  • Barking and Dagenham
  • Barnet
  • Berkshire
  • Birmingham
  • Bradford
  • Bromley
  • Calderdale
  • Cambridgeshire
  • Cheshire
  • Cleveland
  • Clwyd
  • Cornwall
  • Croydon
  • Cumbria
  • Derbyshire
  • Devon
  • Dudley
  • Dyfed
  • East Sussex
  • Enfield
  • Essex
  • Gateshead
  • Gloucestershire
  • Gwent
  • Gwynedd
  • Hampshire
  • Havering
  • Hereford and Worcester
  • Humberside
  • Inner London Education Authority
  • Isle of Wight
  • Kent
  • Kingston upon Thames
  • Kirklees
  • Lancashire
  • Leeds
  • Leicestershire
  • Lincolnshire
  • Liverpool
  • Newcastle-upon-Tyne
  • Norfolk
  • Northamptonshire
  • Northumberland
  • North Yorkshire
  • Nottinghamshire
  • Oldham
  • Oxfordshire
  • Powys
  • Redbridge
  • Richmond-upon-Thames
  • Rotherham
  • Salford
  • Sandwell
  • Sefton
  • Solihull
  • Somerset
  • South Tyneside
  • St. Helens
  • Surrey
  • Wakefield
  • West Glamorgan
  • Wiltshire

Initial Teacher Training Institutions

  • University of Bath
  • Bedford College of Higher Education
  • Birmingham Polytechnic
  • University of Birmingham
  • Brighton Polytechnic
  • Bristol Polytechnic
    • 400
  • Bristol University
  • Brunel University
  • Bulmershe College of Higher Education, Reading
  • Cambridge University
  • Central School of Speech and Drama, London
  • Charlotte Mason College, Cumbria
  • Chester College
  • Crewe and Alsager College
  • Coleg Normal, Bangor
  • College of St. Mark and St. John Foundation
  • Durham University
  • University of East Anglia
  • Edge Hill College of Higher Education, Liverpool
  • Exeter University
  • Hatfield Polytechnic
  • Homerton College, Cambridge
  • Hull University
  • Keele University
  • King Alfred's College, Winchester
  • Kingston Polytechnic
  • Lancaster University
  • Liverpool Institute of Higher Education
  • London University
  • Loughborough University
  • Manchester Polytechnic
  • Middlesex Polytechnic
  • Nene College, Northampton
  • Newcastle-upon-Tyne Polytechnic
  • Oxford Polytechnic
  • Oxford University
  • Reading University
  • Roehampton Institute, Whitelands College
  • St. Martin's College
  • Sheffield City Polytechnic
  • Sheffield University
  • South Glamorgan Institute of Higher Education
  • Thames Polytechnic
  • Trent Polytechnic, Nottingham
  • Trinity College, Carmarthen
  • University College Cardiff
  • University College of North Wales
  • University College of Wales
  • University College, Swansea
  • Warwick University
  • West London Institute of Higher Education
  • West Midland College of Higher Education, Walsall
  • Westminster College, Oxford
  • West Sussex Institute of Higher Education
  • Worcester College of Higher Education

Teachers' Associations

  • Assistant Masters and Mistresses Association
  • Caribbean Teachers Association
  • Croydon Head Teachers' Association
  • National Association of Head Teachers
  • National Association of Head Teachers in Wales
  • National Association of School Masters/Union of Women Teachers
  • National Union of Teachers
  • Professional Association of Teachers
  • Secondary Heads Association
  • The Headmasters' Conference
  • UCAC (Welsh Teachers Association)

Other Organisations

  • Adjustment Unit: Special Education Centre, Clwyd
  • Arts Education Forum
  • Association for Behavioural Approaches with Children
  • Association of Educational Psychologists
  • Association of Chief Education Social Workers
  • Association of Chief Officers of Probation
  • Association of County Councils
  • Association of Metropolitan Authorities
  • Association of Workers for Maladjusted Children
  • The Boys' Brigade
  • British Association of Counselling
  • British Association of Ideal Education
  • British Association of Social Workers
  • British Housewives' League
  • British Psychological Society
    • 401
  • The Campaign for the Advancement of State Education
  • Catch 'Em Young Project Trust
  • Centre for the Study of Comprehensive Schools
  • The Children's Legal Centre
  • Commission for Racial Equality
  • Community Education Development Centre
  • Conservative Western Area Local Government Committee
  • Department of Health and Social Security
  • Dr. Barnardo's
  • Drugs Education Unit, Hatfield
  • Educational Institute of Scotland
  • Education Management Information Exchange
  • Education Service Advisory Committee (Health and Safety Commission)
  • Forum for the Advancement of Educational Therapy
  • The General Synod of the Church of England
  • Girls' School Association
  • The Hereford Diocesan Council of Education
  • HM Prison Service
  • ILEA Behaviour Management Project
  • Incorporated Association of Preparatory Schools
  • Independent Schools Joint Council
  • Inter-Diocesan Schools Commission
  • Llandaff Diocesan Council for Education
  • Manpower Services Commission
  • The Methodist Church Division of Education and Youth
  • The Muppet Club Project
  • The Muslim Educational Trust
  • National Association of Governors and Managers
  • National Association for Pastoral Care in Education
  • National Association of Social Workers in Education
  • National Confederation of Parent-Teacher Associations
  • National Foundation for Educational Research
  • National Youth Bureau in England and Wales
  • Narborough Road Integration Project
  • Pax Christi
  • Professional Development Foundation
  • Programme for Reform in Secondary Education
  • School Psychological and Child Guidance Service, North Yorkshire
  • Social Education Team, Liverpool Education Authority
  • Socialist Education Association
  • Society of Teachers Opposed to Physical Punishment
  • Southwark School Support Service
  • Special Educational Needs—National Advisory Council
  • The Sports Council
  • The Tavistock Institute of Human Relations
  • Training, Consultancy, Resources, in Health
  • Personal and Social, and Drug Education (TACADE)
  • Welsh Counties Committee
  • Welsh Joint Education Committee