Pupils' bad behaviour affecting educational standards

Standards are slipping in British schools because of unruly pupils, a teaching union has warned.

According to the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT), the problem of disruptive youngsters is also the biggest cause of stress among teachers and there are some schools which are not doing enough to resolve the issue.

What's more, teachers have voiced concerns about a lack of training regarding ways to deal with behavioural problems.

Tim Cox, from the union's national executive, said that low level disruption can often be a major problem for teachers.

He commented: "It's the tap tap of the pen on the desk, the swinging on the back of chairs, the inability to comply with the simplest request, the mobile phones that wear us down.

"We all know the negative impact this can have on teachers and pupils."

The NASUWT was also critical of the government's policy regarding the exclusion of disruptive pupils, which now favours moving them to a different school to give them a fresh start instead.