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Michael Gove’s measures to enforce school discipline will include giving heads power to press criminal charges Headteachers will be able to press criminal charges against pupils who make false allegations against teachers in England, under guidance issued by the government. The policy was announced by the education secretary, Michael Gove, as part of a package of measures designed to enforce discipline, which includes allowing students’ mobile phones to be searched for inappropriate material. As well as having the power to press criminal charges, headteachers will be able to temporarily or permanently exclude pupils who make false allegations. Teachers will also get added protection through an assumption that they have behaved reasonably until the contrary is proved, and confirmation that they can use reasonable force to control children. At present, they can be suspended on the word of a pupil. Nearly 30% of school staff have been the subject of a false allegation of misconduct by a pupil, according to a 2009 survey by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, which said that false claims blighted careers and damaged private lives. The survey of private and state school staff found that police were notified in 16% of cases and took no further action in 55 of the 67 cases they investigated. Guidance on discipline being published by the Department of Education as part of the package will also reduce the regulations from 600 pages to a 50-page document. Gove said: “Improving discipline is a big priority. Teachers can’t teach effectively and pupils can’t learn if schools can’t keep order. These changes will give teachers confidence that they can remove disruptive pupils and search children where necessary. The government is also appointing Charlie Taylor, a headteacher and consultant who has taught in and advised some of London’s toughest schools, as an adviser on pupil behaviour. Taylor, who is a critic of New Labour policies such as league tables but who also straddles both left and rightwing thinking, has described his approach as “very basic”, including focusing on tackling rudimentary gaps in the children’s development, such as teaching them to welcome affection. “The appointment of a head of Charlie Taylor’s calibre shows how serious we are about dealing with this issue,” said Gove. “He has an excellent track record in improving discipline in some of the most challenging schools in the country.” Gove promised a “new deal” for teachers on classroom discipline last year as he prepared to unveil a range of measures, including the abolition of the so-called “no touch” rules that discourage teachers from restraining or comforting schoolchildren. Teaching Pupil behaviour Schools Conservatives Liberal-Conservative coalition Michael Gove Education policy Ben Quinn guardian.co.uk