Every teacher's worst nightmare

Now a simple sharp word can provoke threats of court action.

But do teachers have had to put an 'exclusion zone' round pupils to avoid the risk of losing their job and their reputation?

The case of Clitheroe Royal Grammar School teacher Garth Sutcliffe, cleared of assaulting a pupil by grabbing him by the neck, after a trial at Preston Crown Court, is every teacher's worst nightmare.

A climate of change in the classroom over recent years means teachers cannot touch pupils other than under extreme circumstances.

Children are more streetwise and 'know their rights'. Parents are more willing than ever to call in the authorities and take the matter to the police.

Seemingly innocent behaviour such as a simple hand on the shoulder to guide a child out of a classroom can be misconstrued and suddenly taken the wrong way as an aggressive shove or push that could lead to a criminal prosecution.

With teachers' hands tied tightly when it comes to dealing with aggressive and rude behaviour by children, bad behaviour in the classroom is on the increase, according to the annual report released in February by the Chief Inspector of Schools Mike Tomlinson.

The rise is the first that inspectors at education watchdog Ofsted have noted in recent years.

Teachers generally do not want to go back to the 'bad old days' of corporal punishment and flying missiles when a climate of fear ruled over the classroom. But has the pendulum swung too far the other way?

Brian Peacock, a teacher at Shadsworth Junior School, Blackburn, and assistant secretary for the NUT branch in Blackburn and Darwen, admitted: "It can be a bit of a nightmare and you have to be very careful all the time.

"It's something that teachers hope will never happen to them but it's always in the back of their minds.

"It's a very stressful job.You can understand how things happen."

Schools have strict guidelines for teachers on how to deal with unruly pupils and the union's advice to members is to stick firmly to them.

"The advice we would give is that you shouldn't have physical contact with a pupil unless it's absolutely necessary," he added.

"We appreciate how difficult it is when you get very challenging and difficult children but there's no justification for an adult using force to control over zealous children."

Neil Thornley, head of Fearns High School, Stacksteads, a teacher for almost 30 years, said: "I always use the phrase to teachers 'the two As'. You can't touch pupils in affection or anger.

"If you feel you want to grab a child by the throat you have to put your hands deep in your pockets and count to ten. If you have a chink in your armour the children will find it and torment it."

Mr Thornley said the strain of dealing with unruly pupils was forcing some teachers out of the profession.

"The situation (with classroom discipline) has changed out of all proportion over the years," he said "Young teachers have to be much more skilful in people skills. It is probably the most demanding part of their job.

" It's important that teachers feel they are supported if they have to deal with an unruly child. If a teacher feels they're on their own, and a lot do, it's one of the reasons why we're losing a lot of good teachers."

Martin Burgess, head at Edge End High, Nelson, said: "We've always known discipline is a bluff and more and more children are calling that bluff.

"The key is parental support. The children we find are difficult tend to have very little parental support and their parents don't back the school when it comes to discipline." Examples included parents arguing over detention or extra work given because of bad behaviour by their child. "They tend to believe their child rather than the school and that makes things worse." The Rev Ken Howles, of St Bartholomew's CE Church, has brought up three children and is also Chair of Governors at the church primary school, Bolton Road, Blackburn.

He would hate to see a return to corporal punishment by bullying teachers but believes discipline has been lost in schools.

But he said: "There is a fine line between disciplining a child and abusing a child, but it seems at times the baby has been thrown out with the bathwater."

The Rev Howles agrees that parents should back the schools more. He said: "A lot of parents believe their little baby's an angel, and they are not always angels. We've been told suspension is wrong and detention is wrong.

"I really do feel for educationalists because they can't win."

A spokesman for Blackburn with Darwen LEA said: "We are fortunate to have a highly committed and skilled teaching force."

Department for Education and Employment guidelines for dealing with disruptive and aggressive pupils say staff can us "reasonable force" to control or restrain a pupil in a number of circumstances, including:

Stopping them from committing a crime.

Preventing them causing injury to themselves or others.

Stopping them from causing damage to property.

Preventing them from causing serious disruption.

Schools are also advised to have their own policy on the use of reasonable force and should tell all parents what it is.

Schools should also record incidents where such force is used and tell parents about any incident involving their child.