Industry News
Rowdy schoolchildren may lose right to appeal
Posted on 10th April 2008
The Conservatives have outlined new policies that would support schools expelling rowdy pupils.
Excluded pupils would also lose the right to appeal to an independent panel, meaning that many parents would be forced to consider taking an appeal to court.
Teachers should not have to spend time "looking over their shoulders", the party said. They added that legislation preventing teachers from touching pupils prevented them from being able to effectively deal with violent children.
These new policies, outlined in the Giving Power back to Teachers document, would mean that good schools would not be forced to accept pupils from underperforming ones and that local authorities would no longer be able to fine schools that expelled pupils.
Shadow children's secretary Michael Grove supported the proposals, saying: "We need to get persistent and unrepentant troublemakers out of the classroom and give teachers the protection they need to keep order."
However, general secretary of the Association of Schools and College Leaders John Dunford said that the changes would in fact make things more "stressful" for head teachers rather than helping them. He said that by overturning the appeals procedure, schools would be forced to spend their limited time and money in court.