Broken families 'mean schools are left to teach good manners'

A generation of unruly, uncommunicative and ignorant children is being produced by parents who fail to pass on basic social skills at home, a leading teachers' union warned yesterday.

The erosion of family life means over-stretched schools are now having to teach basic manners, tasks such as using cutlery and how to hold simple conversations, according to the Association of School and College Leaders.

The comments from general secretary John Dunford are a further sign of a generation in crisis - not least because of the impact of binge drinking on the young.

The number of under-18s admitted to accident and emergency departments a year has almost trebled since 2001.

Speaking at his union's annual conference in Brighton, Dr Dunford said: "For some children, schools have had to take the place of the institutions that used to set the boundaries of acceptable behaviour - that was fundamentally the family and the church.

"In relation to the family, one of the most important factors has been the loss of the family meal, which has reduced family conversation so that schools have more to do in teaching children to communicate.

"In terms of good manners and appropriate behaviour, primary schools have to teach children how to use a knife and fork and sit at a table."

He added: "It is perhaps a sad indictment of the present age that we accept the need to help parents play their part - to rediscover what being a parent means."

Dr Dunford also criticised celebrity worship for making teaching "more difficult than it has ever been".

"The cult of celebrity is promoted in a base and distasteful way and social advancement is presented as something best gained through the purchase of a lottery ticket rather than hard work," he said.

"The way in which the cult of celebrity is presented in the media makes it appear to young people that success can come easily.

"Schools are based on the connection between hard work, passing your exams and getting a good job.

"People forget that high-earning footballers have to train incredibly hard, that successful pop singers have to practice for hours and I think it makes the job of the school more difficult.

"For many children, school and its values, its clear boundaries and moral framework, are the only solid bedrock in their lives."

His speech echoed a warning by the National Association of Head Teachers in 2005.

Then general secretary David Hart accused irresponsible or overworked parents of leaving the job of passing on social skills to teachers, leading to a drastic deterioration in pupils' behaviour.

"Children are coming into school for the first time not toilet-trained or able to use a knife and fork.

"Youngsters too often lack key social skills such as listening to others, saying 'please' and 'thank you' and taking turns."

His successor, Mick Brookes, has criticised the "loving neglect" of parents who are too soft to impose rules on how much television their children watch, what they eat and when they go to bed.

As a result, many are unfit to learn, unable to pay attention and even fall asleep at their desks.

The difficulties have been illustrated at Burrowmoor Primary School in March, Cambridgeshire, which began employing a teacher in 2006 solely to show pupils how to use cutlery.

Teachers' unions and education experts say the decline in social skills has become entrenched since the mid-1990s.

Nick Seaton, of the Campaign for Real Education, said: "There has been a shocking reduction in the standard of education in recent years.

"The last thing over- stretched teachers need is to have passing on basic manners and motivation to children added to their workload."