A HEADTEACHER has slammed the government for forcing schools to contain seriously disruptive pupils.

"It is a recipe for disaster," Michael Humphreys, head of Our Lady and St John RC High School, Blackburn, told parents and staff at speech night last night

The government's obsession with its social inclusion policy had exacerbated the teacher recruitment crisis, he added.

There had been a marked deterioration in the general behaviour of students. "Schools are no longer the calm and orderly places that they were. Teachers are constantly subjected to challenge and often to abuse that would have been unheard of 10 years ago, " Mr Humphreys said. "This deterioration in behaviour certainly has made a significant contribution to the current recruitment problem. Short-lists of one are a regular occurrence and it has proved almost impossible to recruit maths teachers -- we still have two vacancies in the maths department. "Teachers are rightly fed up with the indiscipline they face. The collective human right to learn is matched by that of teachers to teach. I am convinced that this deterioration in standards of behaviour is at the heart of the recruitment and retention problem."

One of the major reasons for the problem was the constant vilification to which the teaching profession had been subjected by successive governments.

"This has demoralised the profession and led to a lack of respect from many parents, which influences the way children respond," Mr Humphreys said.

"This, combined with the effects of a philosophy that has encouraged the development of a society that has become strong on rights and weak on responsibilties has put teachers in an impossible situation.

"I am convinced that forcing schools to contain seriously disruptive pupils is a recipe for disaster.

"However, simply putting them on the streets is not the answer. There needs to be far greater provision of off-site units, staffed by behaviour modification specialists, with compulsory involvement of parents to ensure that they take repsonsibilty for the behaviour of their children."

A further contributory factor to the malaise was the huge increase in bureaucracy that had so increased teachers' workloads, Mr Humphreys said.

"Despite all the promises, paperwork is never-ending with new policies arriving weekly." However, he said it was important not to lose sight of the vast majority of youngsters who were a delight to be with "and who still make teaching a fulfilling and challenging career."

Our Lady and St John is currently bidding for specialist art college status.