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August 2002

Every local authority across Scotland is to benefit from a share of an additional £10m to tackle the problem of indiscipline in schools, it was announced today.  Highland gets £457,374 as its share towards the new intitiative.

The funding will be focused on delivering action on two key recommendations of the report of the Discipline Task Group - providing additional staff to supervise pupils between lessons and during lunch breaks; and providing home-school link workers to ease the transition back to education for those truanting or excluded from school.

On a visit to Holyrood High School in Edinburgh, Education Minister Cathy Jamieson said:

"We can only raise attainment in our schools only if they are places where teachers can teach and pupils can learn in a positive environment, free from distraction and disturbance. Good discipline in school promotes positive behaviour outwith school and can therefore reduce youth disorder

"It was that recognition that led us to establish the Discipline Task Group, to accept all its recommendations and agree agree with local authorities a joint action plan to take them forward.

"Today's extra £10m funding will help local authorities provide additional support for teaching staff and pupilsmake their schools safer and improve the links between home and school - two of the recommendations of the Discipline Task Group report.

"The care and welfare of young people is paramount. We know that teachers work hard to effectively manage the classroom and we will continue to support them in this key role. But the provision of more auxiliary staff in schools will complement that role by helping to ensure good behaviour and order between classes, during intervals and at lunchtimes.

"Teachers promote positive behaviour and other pupils can promote positive behaviour. But we should not overlook the importance of involving parents in the education of their children and in the work of their school.

"Home-school link workers can help develop partnerships between schools, families and other support services. Working with children who are truanting from school or helping excluded young people back into the mainstream school environment, they can make help those children - and their parents - see the importance of school and improve behaviour.

"Good discipline in school promotes positive behaviour outwith school and can therefore bring wider benefits.

"We will continue to work closely with local authorities and others to improve the schoolensure positive and supportive learning environments in for all Scotland's schools."

The report of the Discipline Task Group, 'Better Behaviour - Better Learning' was published on 19 June 2001 and the jGroup's Joint Action Plan was published on 12 December 2001.

The Action Plan contains a number of commitments which have expenditure implications. In December last year, the Scottish Executive allocated £10m for the provision of pupil support bases and a further £3m to help withsupport a comprehensive review of school and local authority policies on discipline and ethos.

The additional £10m announced today will allowis intended to enable local authorities to focus on two key recommendations; although some of the resources can also be used to take forward other DTG recommendations. The two key recommendations are::

Auxiliary Support
The Report recommended the provision of additional auxiliary support to assist with the care and welfare of children and young people. Major concerns were expressed during the DTG review about indiscipline outside the classroom. The DTG found that the lack of supervision during lesson changeovers, intervals and lunch breaks and on school transport can create difficulties for schools and that indiscipline outside the school can spill into the classroom later. Auxiliary support would will help to support teachers in their management of pupil movement and conduct during these times.

Home-school links workers
The DTG report recommends the provision of a home-school links worker in secondary schools and primary clusters. These staff willould help build partnership between schools, families and services providing family support, such as . While the various education, health, social work and community professionals. each have a distinctive contribution to make, there is considerable scope for co-ordinating their work more effectively. The role of a home-school links worker should be to support and advise the parents and help them to support and encourage their child in education, help ease transition back into school after exclusion and also reduce truancy.

Holyrood High School is using December's Scottish Executive funding to add a behaviour support base to its existing learning support base.

The distribution of resources to local authorities is indicated below: