Smaller classes will tackle disruptive pupils, says union

THE key to preventing or controlling misbehaviour among students is to significantly reduce class sizes, a teachers’ union has claimed.

The Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) made the point ahead of Education Minister Mary Hanafin’s receipt of a major report on the issue this week. The Task Force on Student Behaviour was set up last January to examine ways of tackling the growing problem of disruptive pupils in second-level schools.

Its interim report in July alluded to the need for more streamlined resources in schools with increasingly diverse student groups. However, it stopped short of recommending referral units sought by some groups, where severely disruptive students could be taught outside a mainstream class setting.

But the ASTI says the single most practical step which could be taken by Ms Hanafin’s department to improve the quality of discipline in schools would be to reduce class size.

ASTI general secretary John White said: “Class size determines the conditions within which teaching and learning take place. It also influences the quality of the relationships, which the teacher is enabled to build and sustain with their students.”

While Government investment in teaching posts has helped reduce numbers in second-level classes, they remain relatively high in international terms.

“Undoubtedly, the Irish experience of large class sizes exacerbates the problems of negative student behaviour,” Mr White said.

He said the task force must prioritise a reduction of the pupil-teacher ratio, in line with the recommendations of a 2001 report that 1,200 additional teachers be allocated to schools.

The ASTI has also called for increased numbers of learning support teachers and guidance counsellors.

The task force has considered ASTI and other studies which point to increased levels of disruption in recent years, with teachers reporting to have had drunk students in class and to have been threatened by teenagers at school.

While Ms Hanafin is not likely to announce intended measures arising from the task force’s findings until spring, she has allocated €2 million to begin implementing their recommendations next year.

Part of the budget may be earmarked to set up a small number of referral units, which are being piloted in Britain.