Teachers unions welcome tightening of expulsion powers

Unions representing secondary school teachers have welcomed the Government's decision to give schools greater powers to expel and suspend disruptive pupils.

Reports this morning said the Cabinet had agreed to amend the Education Act to ensure that the needs of the school community were given priority over the individual rights of students who face disciplinary action.

The move follows widespread complaints that the original legislation would have hampered schools from cracking down on unruly behaviour.

The Teachers Union of Ireland said today that schools would now be able to proceed with excluding pupils without fear of the their authority being undermined in the event of students being reinstated on the basis of technicalities or on procedural grounds.