Schools rethink caning policy

by Jonathan Petre
THE EUROPEAN Court of Human Rights' decision to grant parents the right to stop teachers caning their pupils will influence recommendations being made to Catholic education authorities. Bishop David Konstant, chairman of the Westminster diocese Education Commission said this week.
The six judges in the Strasbourg court were considering complaints from Mrs Grace Campbell, whose son Gordon was attending St Matthew's Catholic primary school. The complaints were about he use of a leather strap on the boy's hand.
Even before the judgment the Catholic Education Commission was preparing recommendations.
Bishop Konstant said: "Some months ago the Diocesan Education Commission asked its schools committee to prepare a report on corporal punishment in schools with a view to the committee making a
recommendation to the Church schools of the diocese. This report is due shortly to be presented to the Commission:
The Church's view has been that it is up to individual schools to decide what forms of discipline they adopt.
But the judges of the Strasbourg court ruled that because parents could not have their children taught "in conformity with their own religious and philosophical convictions" this was a breach of the European Convention, on Human Rights.
"Along with the traditional understanding of the teacher being in loco parentis. the recent decision in Strasbourg will undoubtably have a bearing on any recommendations made.Bishop Konstant sid.
Britain is "-last country Europe that cont... the practice of beating schoolchildren, but many education authorities have already abolished it in county schools.