PA
Michael Gove has vowed the Tories will put teachers back in control of their classrooms and disruptive and unruly pupils with be given an 'unambiguous lesson in who's boss'.
The Education Secretary - who was speaking at a south London academy school - also pledged to 'restore adult authority' to what he described as an 'educational underclass'.
Mr Gove claimed respect for adults had been 'subverted by a culture of dutiless rights' which encouraged youngsters to ignore civilised boundaries. He also said last month's riots had highlighted the growing gulf between the 'hard-working majority' and a 'vicious, lawless, immoral minority'.
He said the Government had to break the 'iron-clad link between illiteracy, disruption, truancy, exclusion and crime' and addedmeasures would be taken to restore powers to teaching staff and improve discipline. These would include new rights for teachers on the restraint of unruly students and increased financial penalties for mums and dads who failed to make sure their children are attending school.
Mr Gove said:
'The right every child deserves, to be taught properly, is currently undermined by the twisting of rights by a minority who need to be taught an unambiguous lesson in who's boss.
'For all the advances we have made and are making in education, we still, every year, allow thousands more children to join an educational underclass. They are the lost souls our school system has failed.'
Do you agree that teachers need more authority in the classroom? What measures do you think the Government should adopt to restore order to schools?