The broken home issue in the U.K.
Broken homes creating ‘toxic circle’ for children
By Graeme Paton, Education Editor
telegraph.co.uk
The demise of the traditional family is creating a “toxic circle” of school failure, poverty and crime, teachers said yesterday.
Many pupils struggle in class because they are brought up in chaotic homes without married mothers and fathers, according to the 160,000-strong Association of Teachers and Lecturers.
One teacher claimed some mothers had up to eight children by different fathers, creating a “very dysfunctional” home environment, which risked undermining Government attempts to raise school standards.
The comments come as official figures show the number of single parents in Britain has increased by 250,000 to almost two million over the past decade.
Phil Whalley, a teacher at Hardenhuish School, Wilts, said: “No matter how brilliant the lesson or how much has been spent on rebuilding the school, if a child comes in angry and in emotional turmoil because of their family life they will not learn.
“Family stability or the lack of it is an important determinant of a child’s education outcomes. But this means that we have a significant problem in Britain because we already have worrying levels of social dysfunction and family breakdown and the situation is getting worse.”
This month, head teachers warned that schools were being expected to patch up social problems rather than focus on educational issues as they were seen as the “only solid bedrock” in many children’s lives. (more…)
