Keep kids in line or be fined, parents warned

Teachers in Britain will be able to take parents of disruptive pupils to court under government plans to be unveiled tomorrow.

Schools will get stronger powers to ask for the imposition of parenting orders, which could mean families being forced to attend classes to learn how to control their offspring.

A parenting order required parents to take specific steps to control a child's behaviour - including attending parenting courses or counselling sessions, ensuring their children are at home a certain time, or avoiding certain situations and people, the Guardian reported yesterday.

If they still fail to keep their children in line, they would face a 1000 Pounds fine - and a jail term if they do not pay.

The proposal will be included in a wide-ranging schools White Paper set to be unveiled in Parliament tomorrow.

Writing in the Sunday Mirror, Schools Secretary Ed Balls said: "Every parent has a responsibility to back our teachers and make sure the rules are enforced. We all have to play our part to make sure that happens. And that doesn't just mean 95 percent of parents, but all parents, including the very few who aren't taking their responsibilities seriously."

The initiative will be used to support existing home-school agreements which set out what is expected of parents and their children in the education system.

The agreements cover issues like home-work, uniforms and getting children to school on time.

Home Secretary Alan Johnson told the News of the World: "I want to make sure that more considerations is given to the parents' role when a teenager gets into problems and is being considered for an Anti-Social Behaviour Order. Parenting orders are not punishments - they are a way of giving adults the skills they need to help them fulfil their responsibilities.

"If a teenager is in danger of going off the rails, then one of the best ways to deal with it is to give parents more support at an early stage."

Also expected in the White Paper are plans for one-to-one lessons for children lagging behind in English and maths.

The White Paper will also introduce new "report cards" for schools, detailing achievements in sport, music and pastoral care, as well as exams, to help parents of prospective pupils choose schools.

Source: The Straits Times

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