Are teachers losing control of the classroom?
The Association of Teachers and Lectures says just over a quarter of school staff have been the subject of a false allegation by a pupil - it says teachers lives are being ruined and it's making it harder to control children in the classroom.
Is the problem parents who aren't questioning what their children say has happened, or is the system to blame for leaving teachers open to false claims?
Could cameras in the classroom provide a solution - or will this further undermine teachers and diminish their ability to discipline pupils?
You can contact the programme - the phone in number as always is 0500 909693 - and you can text us on 85058. You can follow the debate as it unfolds on the 5 Live NOW page on our website - and you can contact us via Twitter and Facebook.
Read more on the story on BBC News - Many teachers 'face false claims'
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It was very interesting listening to the debate on 5 Live Breakfast between Alison Fiddy, the Children’s Legal Centre solicitor, and the ex-teacher who was complaining about children knowing their rights.
A new research report out later this morning conclusively explodes the myth that children and young people know their legal rights – more often, they haven’t got a clue. Significantly, their lack of awareness of rights costs society hundreds of millions of pounds a year, because it leads young people to experience very serious problems, such as debt and homelessness.
The report is called Young People’s Access to Advice – The Evidence and is published by youth advice charity Youth Access. You can view the report here: www.youthaccess.org.uk/publications. The chapter entitled ‘Legal Capability’ contains the available research evidence regarding young people’s awareness of their rights.
The report is being launched today to coincide with two other events, one of which has also been covered this morning by 5 Live:
· The Department for Children Schools and Families' new Information, Advice and Guidance strategy for young people
· The launch of the JustRights campaign for fair access to legal services for children and young people.
It would be nice to think today's debate about discipline in the classroom could at least be informed by solid evidence.
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On seeing the words Solicitor in the first comment, one is wise to understand that society is so polarised nowadays, that the first thing we think of is litigation.
We have gone from a learned society, where the children are taught that they have one mouth and two ears and should use them in proportion to the number of each they have. Gone are the quiet periods, when silence was induced. Discipline started when the teacher walked in the room and everyone stood up to greet them. Today, we reap the whirlwind of the NIMBY-IASIC Parasitical ZaNuLabryopnic Social Engineering Experiment. The experiment that treats people as commodities, a resource that money can be made from. Then we are back to the original intruder in the School, the Solicitor, leeches on society.
I have the same in my voluntary youth/children’s work. All the parents are very good at telling me what to do, but cannot be bothered to get off from their fags and booze induced reality game to lend a hand. They give me lists of their children’s disorders, like young Johnny is a veggie, just like his mother and only has Organic Soya Milk with his Muesli for breakfast. Lest I am crushed when the tomato sauce is put on the table and the rashers of pig flame under the grill. They are alwys welcome to intervene and vet, an openness that we endure, never the lest should who spill the carrots this week about the ongoing with the drunkard 4th husband of Ethel and her 6th child from 7 fathers!
Still, it is good to see that we all have rights, but respect we have lost.
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It's all to do with the 'all rights and no responsibilities' society that we are now living in. Many parents shouldn't be entrusted with the care of a stick insect let alone a child and the bad practices they use when attempting to 'bring up' a child impact on everybody.
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Games are played according to the rules. Be that Texas Hold'em in Poker , a game of footie, or tag in the school yard, one plays in the rules against others for prizes, respect and honour.
For the ZaNuLabrryonic Socialist Engineered Experiment in Multiculturalism to achieve its ultimate goal in eradicating Englishness, it tore up the rules and dished out rights. It controls by counting. Starting by taking a census of activities in Youth work, where the council funded and new welfarist green fascists are trudging around de-industrialising the nation (Car Industry gone, Mining eradicated, Ship Building a song from the past). we seen millions wasted at the end of lanes in sustainable built eco zones for social integration, with lights to appease the many on dark winters nights on a long trudge to the pod, only for the battery to run dry before the venture back down the path to home, because the solar day was too short to keep the lights on. The lamps are going dim all over England, they will not be allowed back on until they have been replaced with low energy nuances.
We can see the effects of the de-industrialised future in our schools. ZaNuLabrr has counted everything in, from attendance records, to low achieving exam results. I hear this now every morn, as I venture to work, that the Graduate pool should be tapped, as some elitism in educated indebtedness. School children are turned into autonams for 18 years from the age of three, on the naughty steps of the nursery through to the life changing graduation of University at 21. Gone are the days of listening to the story at infant school every afternoon, as inspectors kick in the playground gates, councils sell off the playing fields and little Billy Bunter eats his humble pie, in a wave of obesity.
Gone then the days when the head walked into the class, and everyone stood. Respect, not for them, but for the learned fellow they are. Soon the interruption he provoked, would be chaliced with a classical tale of woe and adventure, which would fuel you with thought for the rest of the day. Today, we see the polarisation that ZaNulabbrrs hushed venture at socialist engineering has delivered. Respect is not earned, but delivered with a gushing of blood from a knife. So polarised has our nation become, we have a news media that transfixed in the Green Welfarist Ideal of Post Industrialised Society, the teaching to the kids of their rights synchronises with the true fascist doctrines of Hitler, where the children spied on their parents. Adverts abound the virtues of absolution day, where people gather round to empty their pockets into unmarked buckets, so the venturist to be imbibed by a alcohol induced trance of forgiveness for doing nothing, called Children in Red Aid bands gatherings.
I have had no real training in teaching kids, leaving the gates at the age of 16, and have never returned. I see what a difference that encouragement makes to the young ones, where they are free to wurr their brains and find things for themselves. Where a demo on healthy eating and fruits include all those things you feel appalled at, the limes, lemons, and grapefruits are demolished with the same vigour as the oranges and lemons. In the morning after the sleep over, the rights of the gluten free dairy misgiving, Soya milk drinking rightist is demolished as the bacon butties and tomato sauce is lashed up, forgetting the ills detailed by the parents and protestation that I am dairy free, meat free, gluten reduced, vampire sucking vultures.
The hiding by ZaNuLabrr the fact of immigration was to fuel the Multicutralistic Utopia so envisaged by the Straw man, Bliar and the Gorgon, that the eradication of elitism in schools is now upon us, as the children (lunatics?) have taken over the asylum, their rights paramount over authority’s rules. Where children in care are farmed off as a cash crop, to balance the books, every disorder given a name and counted. Polarisation starts in early childhood now, where no one is allowed to fit in, but everyone has a right to their preaching.
Time to end this practice and start being part of the community, Time to end the rights and let the rules become valid.
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Good to see the new boreds delivering the expectancy of ZaNuLabrrs Post Industrialist GreenoWelfascist ideal.
The voice of the nation is subdued. The Naticn shall not be allowed to speak to Auntie
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It seems we are moving towards a world, where if you have no self-discipline and can't apply yourself, you are definitely a breed apart and a special human being, to be given special treatment and to get more out of life. If you have self discipline, you have an unfair advantage and should be handicapped for it. I've met the grown up versions of people like this, and they're terrifying. They're absolutely convinced that they're superior to most people, because they have less self control.
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I thought the teacher Matthew was excellent especially when he referred to the Gestapo Child Protection squad and was so good when he put down the solicitor Fiddes as pathetic then proceeded to ask her a simple question requiring yes or no and after 2 mins of waffle said 'so your non answer means yes then? which flustered her even more, absolutely fantastic radio. he referred to the story of the teacher on dispatches who went undercover in a classroom, found appalling behaviour for all to see then was promptly suspended by the GTC (gestapo teaching council) you could'ent make it up he said and he was right. You have no control in your own classroom because of ludicrous hand wringing policies by the self proclaimed senior management/leadership teams in schools, no shouting at pupils, no detentions, no removing them from classrooms etc. I would not have them managing my car boot stall while I went to the toilet! Why do 60% of new teachers leave after 3 years, why are vast numbers of experienced teachers taking early retirement, as Matthew said, you tell me!
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In ZaNuLabbrs MultiCulturalistic Utopia, diversity is encouraged. Where there is division, there is polarisation. Where once the rules pulled us together, we have individual rights.
Where the counters examine numbers, to insatiate the targets. Where failure is met, not with honest gesture, but a cash crop by leeching solicitors, baying for their next prey.
Diverse - Latin, related to verto, TURN. Diversify - Spread or expand one's products.
How can this lead to inclusiveness our Socialist Post-Industrial GreenoWelfacsists want.
Include - Comprise or reckon part of the whole.
The ills of the Social Experiment are bearing rich fruits in the Chambers of lawyers, whilst the closets see the drug infested ills of their gain.
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As a teacher in only my second year in the job, I am constantly frustrateed at the lack of basic manners and good behaviour of the children who come through my classroom door. They are allowed to get away with speaking to their parents in such a way that I would never have dreamt of!
I totally agree with zeldalicious on this one. Children have no understanding of consequences to their actions. Why are we vetted when it comes to having a pet, yet anybody is allowed to have a child and call themself a parent??
And, in addition, in which other job do we accept being sworn at, hit, punched and have furniture thrown at us? This is not part of our job.
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I was shocked at the caller Fiona's attitude. According to her, her daughter shouted in class but hey the teachers don't respect her etc etc.
What an example of how some people are patently unable to parent, take responsibility for their offsprings' behaviour and a complete inability to understand how stupid their mindset is.
And as for the idiot who supported his son's stance in not standing up when the Head entered the room because he'd taught his son that "respect has to be earned" well, he should go and stand in the corner with a hat with a large D on it.
It's respect for the position NOT the person (although there should be respect for the person too, of course).
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Why is there no where to blog on today's phone-in subject today?????????
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Seems people have given up on VD's blog. Not been updated since Friday and nothing on her facebook page either.
If by closing the Boards their aim was to discourage people with interacting altogether then they're succeeding.
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I think the whole establishment is slowly trying to prevent opinions which are not congruent with the whole Govt/BBC/media agenda. They have phone ins, message boards etc but they are nervous about not being able to control opinion which may have flair and imagination rather than repeating the days particular slant and spin. This is why Matthews interview was so refreshing and incisive because it was not the usual homogeneous sanitized twaddle we generally get from interviewees on Five Live especially politicians. As an example it was amazing to hear the numbers of people I talk to in the pub on Friday night after the Nick Griffin thing on Question Time repeating the line that they had heard that morning that they thought he was bullied, just trotting out something they had heard with no thought it was like The Stepford Wives. Yet this odious creature was reponsible for the organisation of the National Front in the 1970s, hate rallies and physical attacks by his followers on Asian shops and communities in the Hyde and Manchester area and stiring up violence in football. The olny person who should be deported is Griffin.
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The child and housing benefits system, have given rise to a huge underclass who procreate not because they want children & to be loving parents, but for financial reasons.These underclass begat more underclass.Yet again we have a huge problem for society caused by society.30 years of Thatcher & Blair have virtually destroyed Britain as a society and a community. I see no political visionary with the will to change this.
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Have a child get a house, want a bigger house? Have more kids. Simple.
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Are teachers losing control of the classroom?
No. The political system is losing control of education and teachers are the scapegoats!
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