Parents Face Fines In New School Rules
| June 30, 2009 |
Parents Face Fines In New School Rules
British parents could soon face a fine and prison if their children misbehave at school. Britain’s government wants to introduce tough new laws to improve discipline in schools. They want to make parents more responsible for their sons and daughters. Some of the new measures include making parents attend parenting courses, paying a $1,700 fine or going to prison. The Schools Secretary Ed Balls said current policies on unruly behaviour are not strict enough. Many British schools suffer from high levels of bullying, truancy and low academic achievement. He wants parents to play their part in making sure their children achieve. "Every parent has a responsibility to back our teachers and make sure the rules are [followed]," he said.
The measures are part of a new focus on the relationship between schools and parents. Mr. Balls also has plans to help parents and students. He proposes to give pupils private tutors if they are doing badly in reading and maths. He also wants doctors, health workers and social workers in schools to provide better community services. Under Mr. Balls’ plans, parents will have a bigger voice in how schools operate. They will complete satisfaction surveys on how their children’s school performs. Critics say the plans are unlikely to be popular with parents. There are also fears about poorer parents not having enough money to pay the fines and whether they should go to prison for their children’s actions.
1. TRUE / FALSE: Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):
| a. | British parents may have to pay penalties if their children misbehave. | T / F |
| b. | Some parents could go to prison if their children are unruly. | T / F |
| c. | There is very little bullying and truancy in British schools. | T / F |
| d. | The British Schools Secretary said teachers must follow the new rules. | T / F |
| e. | The Secretary has plans for some students to have private lessons. | T / F |
| f. | The Secretary wants parents to speak more loudly. | T / F |
| g. | The majority of parents are fully behind the new plans. | T / F |
| h. | There are concerns that some parents are too poor to pay fines. |
2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:
| 1. | misbehave | a. | students |
| 2 | tough | b. | orderliness |
| 3. | discipline | c. | behaviour |
| 4. | unruly | d. | perform |
| 5. | achieve | e. | suggests |
| 6. | measures | f. | (be) naughty |
| 7. | proposes | g. | input |
| 8. | pupils | h. | strict |
| 9. | voice | i. | actions |
| 10. | actions | j. | uncontrollable |
3. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one. combination is possible):
| 1. | parents could soon face a | a. | behaviour |
| 2 | introduce tough new laws | b. | with parents |
| 3. | current policies on unruly | c. | back our teachers |
| 4. | He wants parents to play | d. | private tutors |
| 5. | Every parent has a responsibility to | e. | fine and prison |
| 6. | the relationship between | f. | their children’s actions |
| 7. | He proposes to give pupils | g. | schools and parents |
| 8. | parents will have a bigger voice in | h. | to improve discipline |
| 9. | the plans are unlikely to be popular | i. | their part |
| 10. | they should go to prison for | j. | how schools operate |
4. Questions to the text:
| a) | Did you like reading this article? |
| b) | What kind of relationship should there be between schools and parents? |
| c) | Do you think the idea of private tutors for poorly performing students is a good one? |
| d) | What do you think of the idea of having doctors and social workers being in schools? |
| e) | Do you think school rules should be stricter? |
| f) | Would fining parents work? |
| g) | What would you do to improve discipline in schools? |
| h) | What do you think of the idea of all learning being online, at home? |
| i) | Were / Are you a well-behaved student? |
| j) | What questions would you like to ask Schools Secretary Ed Balls? |