ATL

Turn off the TV

ATL general secretary Mary Bousted explains how many young people's home lives are damaging their education

In this country we do not have a particularly positive record on childhood. A report by UNICEF, published last year, measured children's health and happiness and described Britain as a "picture of neglect".

So we have, as a nation, to do better in our duty of care to our children. The government recognises this and has invested serious sums of public money in programmes to improve the progress of children who do not start life on a level playing field, but are held back by poverty, poor parenting and family breakdown.

ATL recognises that the government has put its money where its mouth is: providing real support for vulnerable children and families. For example, children's centres for families to receive practical support, within 'pram-pushing' distance from their homes.

The government has declared that 'Every Child Matters'. We agree. Every child has the right to achieve their potential - irrespective of their parents' wealth and class. But with rights come responsibilities, and I fear we are in danger of neglecting the latter.

Let me give some examples. When 14-year-old Emma's mum tells the school her daughter is pregnant, whom does she hold responsible? She might blame senior leadership for the weakness of the school's personal, social and health education (PSHE) policy, the PSHE teacher or Emma's tutor. She might do anything she can to lay the blame at someone else's door.

Or how about 16-year-old Jack, whose parents come into school after discovering he is a regular cannabis user. They say Jack has been led astray by his school friends or that more should have been done to educate him about the dangers of drug abuse. They threaten to go to the local press to tell their story.

You might think these are extreme examples, but more and more ATL members report such scenarios. Teachers are concerned they are being held responsible for aspects of young people's lives that are completely beyond their control.

We need to rebalance the equation and have a serious, sensible debate about the roles and responsibilities of parents and the support that they can reasonably expect of schools.

Estyn, the Welsh equivalent of Ofsted, reports that during the past five years the proportion of five- to seven-year-olds achieving good levels of reading and writing skills has stopped rising, in both English and Welsh. One of the key reasons, they conclude, is that children are coming to school with poor speaking and listening skills.

I think questions need to be asked. Just what is happening in the homes of these children? We learn how to talk to others through practice in the early years of life. Children will not learn how to behave as social beings by watching hours of TV every day. They need their parents to show an interest in them, spend time with them and help them learn the rules of social behaviour.

I'm afraid too many children start school without the social and verbal skills to be able to take part in lessons and to behave well. Too many start school unable to hold a knife and fork and unable to use the toilet properly.

These children do not live in absolute poverty. The vast majority live in homes with televisions, fridge-freezers and computers. What too many lack are adults prepared to give time and energy doing that most difficult, but essential of jobs - raising their children properly.

I made this point in a series of radio interviews. Vanessa Phelps accused me of wanting to ban television in children's bedrooms, saying that, for many, a television in every room was a sign that they had made it - and had provided well for their children.
It comes to something when the mark of good parenting is the provision of a television, which, in too many cases, becomes an inadequate substitute for parenting - a constant pacifier that suppresses real interaction in the family.

We are in danger of becoming a nation of families living separate lives under one roof. The bedroom has become the living space for the young, spending hours alone in front of computer screens, on social networking sites or immersed in computer games. Parents are unable to monitor just what their children are doing and watching.Teachers find many pupils are exhausted at the start of the school day, tired out from viewing unsuitable programmes, or sitting in front of the computer screen late into the night.

Schools cannot right the wrongs of society and teachers cannot become substitute parents. Both parties need to work together and, crucially, understand just what each is responsible for.

Parents must be helped and be given confidence to take back control. They are responsible for setting boundaries for their children's behaviour, for setting a good example and for devoting precious time so that children feel valued as individuals and as part of the family.

Schools do not exist in a vacuum. If they are to succeed then more parents have to put more effort into their parenting, and into creating conditions that ensure their children come to school ready and willing to learn.