The Ombudsman for Children has called on education authorities to involve children and students in the development of new codes of behaviour for schools.
In a submission to the Government's taskforce on student behaviour, Ombudsman Emily Logan says legislation governing the area does not place any obligation on schools to consult students in the development of codes of conduct.
Ms Logan says this contravenes the spirit of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states that children should have a say in things that affect them, as well as the Government's 10-year national children's strategy.
"It seems inappropriate that the very people we wish to influence in terms of behaviour do not have adequate understanding and 'buy-in' in the codes applying to them. In this context we suggest that children and young people must be involved in the development of codes of behaviour for schools," the submission says.
The Ombudsman says there is also a lack of awareness of existing codes of behaviour and discipline procedures.
Ms Logan points out that most complaints relating to discipline tend to come from adults on behalf of young people.
"This emphasises the need to target and support young people to become active participants in services provided to them. It would be very beneficial to provide, at local and national level, easily accessible information on their rights and responsibilities and local procedures on how they can be enforced.
"This is an objective of the Ombudsman for Children's Office. The network of youth information centres could play a valuable role in achieving this objective."
The Ombudsman also calls for "fair, credible and transparent" complaints procedures that would help curtail bad behaviour by making all parties responsible for their actions.
Identifying the causes of bad behaviour and supporting a more tailored approach to those students is a more long-term developmental approach but ultimately more effective, the submission says.
There is strong evidence, for example, to suggest bad behaviour is often linked to external factors over which the child does not have any control, including a learning disability such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or socio-economic factors.
These factors should be addressed by providing support and by adopting an integrated approach. This includes early assessment of learning disabilities, devising additional supports and working in partnership with relevant agencies, such as educational welfare officers or support groups.
The taskforce was established in January this year by Minister for Education Mary Hanafin to examine disruptive student behaviour and its effect on teaching and learning.
