PLANS announced yesterday (November 18) to crackdown on classroom violence have received a mixed reception.

Head teachers broadly welcomed the measures outlined by Education and Skills Secretary Charles Clarke to improve pupil behaviour.

But Poole's councillor with special responsibility for education, Tony Woodcock, branded the proposals "nonsense."

He said: "It's absurd for Charles Clarke to talk about controlling unruly children when he has taken away the armoury for teachers to deal with them.

"Teachers are not encouraged to expel pupils and pupil referral units are closing down so there is nowhere for them to be educated if they are expelled."

Bournemouth School for Girls' head teacher Alistair Brien, who was in London to hear Mr Clarke's speech at the National College for School Leadership's conference for new heads, said: "Any measures to allow teachers and head teachers to do their jobs properly must be welcomed."

Pam Orchard, head teacher at Bournemouth's Glenmoor school, described new powers for school heads to search pupils suspected of carrying knives as "useful" but stressed the need for "very tight guidelines."

She welcomed planned improvements in how allegations of misconduct against teachers are investigated and said proposals to ensure teachers feel confident about taking children on school trips were "excellent news."

John Granger, head teacher at Bournemouth School for Boys, said: "We already work closely together to ensure no school is overloaded with difficult children.

"Police are trained to search for weapons - I'm not and I don't intend to be.

"What Charles Clarke has said isn't rocket science. More caution needs to be exercised when allegations are made against teachers.

"Lives have been ruined and common sense must prevail.

"What we desperately need in Bournemouth is more funding."

Sid Willcocks, Dorset's National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) representative, said: "We welcome anything, within reason, that helps make schools safer places for the vast majority of children who are being penalised by a very small minority intent on causing mayhem and trouble.

"There are vast implications like where the funding is going to come from for these measures."

The proposals received a caution reaction from Ferndown policeman Jon Sweet who runs the Safe Schools project, a unique pilot scheme aimed at helping to reduce anti-social behaviour.

"If you just let children do what they like you are being very soft but if you put in rules, without support, that's a form of cruelty.

"I understand the teaching unions are concerned for their members' safety but it's not just a case of putting a policeman in a school."

First published: November 19