Parents need to realise they play a role in kids' behaviour

We appear to be living in dark days for British children. Last month, a report by The Children's Society suggested that kids in the UK faced a "happiness recession".

- WILL GORE

And now, a YouGov survey suggests that bad behaviour among school pupils is getting worse, with almost a third of teachers expecting a decline in student conduct this year.

For those on the frontline, especially those trying to teach physics to a baying mob, figuring out how to respond is a difficult task. That said, Ofsted’s former chief of inspector, Michael Wilshaw, seemed to point the finger squarely at parents in his response to the YouGov findings.

Teachers, he suggested, should not have to put up with “disruptive and unruly students on a regular basis”, and school leaders “must not be intimidated by unsupportive and sometimes aggressive parents who have often failed in their duty to teach their children the importance of respect and simple good manners”. Ouch!

Wilshaw went on to suggest that teachers ought to feel within their right to “tell a parent they’re a bad parent and a bad example to their children”. You can imagine that going down well in the playground on a rainy Monday morning...

He has a point, however.