However, having worked in education for a number of years, I can say objectively that behaviour is getting worse, to the point where it is out of control at some schools, with the most worrying fact that very little is being done.
Last year I was assigned to a school during an Ofsted inspection, which is a topic I shall discuss another day, and during those two days the behaviour of the students was near perfect.
I'd been to this school before, a highly thought of school in an affluent area, but the students had not behaved like this at all. In fact I'd had a child storm out calling me a "wanker" when I questioned their lack of effort, confiscated 4 phones from a "great" class, and had to clear up the mess after one class decided to stop working and make paper aeroplanes.
So why was the behaviour good this time?
Well, it's simple: there were members of the management team all over the corridors. Not a minute went by without the heartacher or a deputy passing the classroom, or poking their head in to check on things. They had made a special effort to leave the offices they usually seem glued to, to patrol the school like vigilant police officers.
The school was rated "outstanding" for behaviour, and gave itself a huge pat on the back for an inspecting team well fooled.
For fooled they were, as in the past few months I've been back to that school and seen: doors kicked of hinges by students in PE; children roaming the corridors at will throughout lessons; and I know two teachers who have been punched by students, whilst breaking up violent fights in classrooms.
This is at a "good" school, but in my time in the classroom at a range of schools I've seen a whole class throwing pencils at eachother; witnessed a student throw a cloth on to a heater to start a fire in the classroom; and I've broken up more than 20 fights.
I've personally been grabbed round the throat when I asked one student to sit down; had to kick more than one student out for trying to make a phone call in my lesson; and been called a "stupid fucking cunt" when I closed down an inappropriate website that one student was viewing.
I've also witnessed a sickening fight where two girls were pulling one another's hair out, caught hundreds of students smoking, and know schools where some students aren't even allowed into mainstream lessons, as their behaviour is just so bad.
Now not all of these examples are daily occurrences for me, but on an hourly basis I have to deal with students who can't be quiet, who interrupt the lesson constantly, who throw objects, who swear and steal, and on occasion those who just decide to walk out of the lesson.
Classroom behaviour is getting worse, and less is being done to combat it and it's cause. The majority of the crimes go unpunished, or the blame is shifted to the teacher, and exclusions only happen in the absolute worst case scenarios. For example: neither of the students who punched a teacher were given so much as a day of exclusion.
Teachers are seemingly told to try and make their lessons fun to keep these students attentive and improve their behaviour, which to me feels like rewarding poor behaviour and empowering those students who already like things their own way. Misbehave all you want because you'll be rewarded by fun lessons designed just for you.
Behaviour should be a huge concern, but so many school leaders seem more focused on their statistics, and how their school is viewed by outsiders, that they've taken their eye off what is happening inside the classrooms, playgrounds and corridors of their school.
It's frightening what happens in schools, and I personally cannot wait to escape it all when I leave education behind in July, and I know plenty of other teachers who feel exactly the same.
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