TBH:A second-level teacher writes:

We need to take a firm hand to solve our schools’ discipline crisis

The discipline crisis in our schools has not gone away, you know, even though it got barely a mention at the recent teacher conferences. Since the departmental task force on discipline reported in 2005, very little has changed in the majority of schools. Yes, the National Behaviour Support Service was set up, but it barely supports 10 per cent of schools. There have been changes to the the expulsion appeals process, but many school principals are still reluctant to go down this path, mainly because of how it will be seen to reflect on their school when inspected.

So, day in, day out, thousands of young people have their educational opportunities stymied by fellow pupils who consistently disrupt the learning process. Thousands of teachers put up with abuse that should never be tolerated in a place of work. Would you put up with foul language being used regularly against you? Would you put up with sexual harassment on a weekly basis? Would you put up with a subordinate failing to do any work and becoming highly aggressive if you challenge him or her on this? I’m not naive. I know this goes on in many workplaces, not just schools, but I doubt your average adult worker would see this situation tolerated for years as it has been allowed do so in schools. Should this behaviour be tolerated just because they are teenagers? Can they ruin your son’s or daughter’s education just because they are young?

The only armoury the department has provided is detention, suspension and the rarely used expulsion. The department constantly indicates it wants low levels of all three while sacrificing the health of teachers and creating lower educational outcomes for thousands of children. Either the department takes a more serious examination of what happens in schools or its reforms will fail to deliver any real change. It needs to do more than provide anodyne guidelines. It needs to force some schools to remove time-wasters and provide cost-effective discipline support through an extension of the NBSS.

A simple step would be reform of its inspection process away from an inspector simply sitting at the back of a class and towards looking at the daily discipline reports issued in schools. I have seen useless teachers pass inspection. I have seen highly disruptive classes behave like lambs with an inspector in the classroom. Let’s start having an honest debate about discipline in schools, because without it no reform will work.

This column is designed to give a voice to those within the education system who wish to speak out anonymously. Contributions are welcome. Email sflynn@irishtimes.com