A SECOND school in England was closed yesterday in a further escalation of the discipline crisis facing Britain's schools.
The Ridings School in Halifax, West Yorkshire - already the subject of an emergency inspection because of pupil violence - was closed after two further assaults on teachers.
In one, according to a teaching union, a female member of staff - understood to be a young French supply teacher - was sexually assaulted by at least one boy believed to be 15 years old. Education authority inspectors who were sent in to carry out an emergency assessment of the school were on the premises at the time.
Calderdale education authority yesterday closed the school "to prevent the breakdown of discipline" until next Wednesday, when a new head teacher would be in place.
But the Education Secretary, Mrs Gillian Shephard, let it be known that inspectors had warned local officials on Wednesday that the school was in danger of getting out of control".
Mr Nigel de Gruchy, general secretary of the National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers, said he was staggered but not surprised" by the 24 hour delay in action which had left his members and children at the school at risk. The union has a dossier of 60 children one in 10 on the school's register whom it says are "unteachable".
"This bears out everything I have been saying that the teachers have been asking for support from management, but not getting any," he said. "Regrettably, not even the presence of inspectors helped the situation. In fact, if anything discipline deteriorated.
"The result today was that two further quite serious assaults took place by youngsters on members of staff. A woman teacher was sexually molested by one or more boys and another male teacher had books thrown at him by one or more youngsters."
Two days ago, the head of Manton Junior School, Worksop, Nottinghamshire, closed its gates, saying he could not guarantee the "health and safety" of staff and pupils if a 10 year old boy returned to classes.
. A 10 point Labour plan to combat indiscipline in schools and tackle the educational underachievement of macho boys will be set out today by Mr David Blunkett, the shadow education secretary, in the wake of the closure of the Ridings school.
"We have to overcome what some call laddism - the belief that it is cool not to work," he will tell local education authority leaders and officials at a conference in Salford.