CHILDREN in nursery schools are becoming increasingly abusive -- and even threatening their carers, an East Lancashire teachers' leader has warned.

And parents have been blamed for bringing up their youngsters badly.

Three and four-year-olds are displaying high levels of unacceptable behaviour including using offensive language, making insulting comments to their teachers and issuing threats, a survey has revealed. And the findings were reflected in East Lancashire, Simon Jones, the National Union of Teachers' executive member for the county, confirmed.

Colleagues in nursery education were experiencing behavioural problems among their charges starting at a very early age. "It's a new phenomenon and it's growing. The situation is getting worse," Mr Jones added.

In the survey, conducted by the NUT, more than 80 per cent of 2,500 teachers questioned in schools of all types -- rural, urban and inner city -- said that pupil behaviour had deteriorated during their time in teaching.

And many pointed to lack of good parenting and poor parental support for teachers trying to deal with problem pupils. One in 12 teachers even said they were threatened by parents at least once a term.

Mr Jones said: "The survey shows an unacceptable level of physical and verbal aggression between pupils and directed at teachers. Many of the comments point to teachers seeing this behaviour as the final straw in causing them to leave teaching even though they love it.

"The very high level of disruption to lessons experienced on a daily basis is making teaching a decreasingly satisfying experience."

He added that government numeracy and literacy strategies had squeezed subjects like art, music and PE, which robbed the curriculum of its variety.