SPECIAL in-school "sin-bins" are to be set up as part of a government-backed crackdown on disruptive pupils.

The initiative, costing nearly £million initially, is in response to teachers' concerns about classroom violence and troublemakers.

But though teaching unions were demanding the restoration of powers to permanently expel bad pupils or exclude them for longer fixed terms, this plan aims to keep difficult children in mainstream education.

It is for that reason that we have our doubts about the scheme - since keeping in place a disruptive influence while hoping to sort it out, rather than removing it to the external "sin-bins" that exist, would still admit the possibility of its disturbing effect on other children remaining in place in the meantime.

By all means, attempt to reform the bad apples - but at the risk of the good ones being affected?

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