Infants to get lessons in anger control

Children as young as three will be sent to anger management sessions in an attempt to improve behaviour in state schools.

The proposal is included in measures unveiled yesterday by Estelle Morris, Secretary of State for Education and Skills, to quell classroom disruption.

As part of the package, children of nursery age identified as having behavioural problems would be given counselling to improve their concentration and control their emotions before they start in the reception class at primary school. Ms Morris said: "This is not only about setting firm boundaries for children, it is about helping them get control of their emotions and relations with others."

Other measures announced yesterday include strengthening the law so that headteachers can expel disruptive pupils more easily. In future, special panels that hear appeals by parents against their child's exclusion will have by law "to balance the interests of the excluded child against the interests of all the other members of the school community".

In the past, teachers have complained that panels have failed to pay attention to the disruptive effect on other children of keeping a troublemaker in the class. In addition, a majority of members of the panel must be serving or retired headteachers or have experience of managing schools. Up until now, many have been dominated by councillors.

Ms Morris also confirmed that ministers would not be setting any new targets for cutting the number of school expulsions. A decision by David Blunkett, her predecessor, to set a target of cutting exclusions by a third by 2002 led to protests from teachers' leaders, who said it was putting too much pressure on schools to keep unruly pupils in class.

As revealed in yesterday's Independent, the Government is also focusing on violence by parents against teachers.

Schools are being encouraged to use anti-stalking legislation, under which parents could be jailed for up to five years if they disobey orders not to threaten or harass staff. Ministers are also planning to extend the scope of parenting orders to make parents take more responsibility for their children's behaviour in the classroom.

Ms Morris said she would consult teachers' leaders on the proposals and intended to introduce legislation in the autumn. She added: "Disruptive behaviour wears down teachers, interferes with the education of other pupils and condemns other children to failure at school and long-term problems."

The plans were given a cautious welcome by teachers' leaders yesterday.

John Dunford, general secretary of the Secondary Heads Association, said: "It is high time the Government took steps to rectify problems which were largely of its own making."

Doug McAvoy, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, added: "We have seen an over-emphasis on the rights of individual pupils to the detriment of the collective right of the majority to learn. There has been a worrying increase in violence and aggression from parents towards teachers in recent years."