Violence in Secondary Schools and Colleges in Britain Essay

Violence in Secondary Schools and Colleges in Britain - Essay Example It is common to read in the newspapers and hear through other people that a teenager has been stabbed in the eye and the head by a fellow of 15 years old at school; we also hear and read about pupils that suffer cuts and bruises in a school/college attack or that are slashed across the face with a pencil sharpener; students mugging other students for their cash and mobile phones, and the list is long. The truth is that this issue has been raised some years ago. The police usually said that the incidents reported where not related to racial disputes. However, this need to be confirmed as usually ethnic groups is also part of the problem. In 2006, Ministers decided to change the law to provide teachers with the legal right to discipline unruly pupils and restrain children using reasonable force. In May 2005 the British government announced the creation of a task force (Curtis:2005) where experts heads and teachers would have to consider a national code of behaviour, and to set minimum standards expected by schools, parents and pupils, in order to tackle poor behaviour. Also, a new offence of "allowing a child to be found in a public place during school hours without good cause" to make sure parents keep track of their children was established, and the controversial right of parents to appeal when a pupil was excluded for more than five days was backed as well (Macleod:2005). The whole initiative represented a new move to construct a "culture of respect" in the classroom. However, as we have already seen, reforms have made little impact. Colleges started to take different measures like installing metal detectors in hundreds of secondary schools in an effort to dissuade pupils from carrying knives and dangerous weapons; increasing guards and security; introducing cameras; among others. The introduction of these cameras was important as by this measure some students were caught red-handed like for example in the act of stealing a purse or breaking the windows of the classroom, or vandalising cars in the school area. The question from now on is the following: How can we improve the current situation For the question raised we can think of many important measures that can be adopted. For example it is necessary to establish norms for behaviour for students. Students can be asked to set penalties and enforce rules. Also it is imperative to encourage parents to talk with teachers about the progress of the child, to engage in a closer relationship with the school authorities, and to learn how to recognize the warning signs of violence either at home or with their peers as they will surely reproduce later in the school environment. For teachers it is also important to recognise the signs of violence as soon as they occur and to stop them immediately. They can report immediately