HOW to tackle disruptive and threatening behaviour in schools has long been a testing question for parents and teachers alike.

And the methods currently being employed at Iffley Mead School in Oxford are sure to divide opinion.

No pupil there is ever suspended or expelled — whatever their misdemeanour.

Instead, a programme of restorative justice is used where pupils sit down and talk about their actions and the impact they have on others. Innovative or insane?

At Iffley Mead, students can carry a knife, assault a member of staff and carry tobacco into class without being sent home.

But could this really work in mainstream schools?

Dealing with the aftermath of a child in trouble at school is every parent's worst nightmare.

But maybe Iffley Mead School is a shining example of how to get to the root cause of a problem, rather than administering a kneejerk reaction like suspension or expulsion.

Children get into scrapes and trouble, it's only natural.

But surely it is better for them to face the consequences of their actions than let them stew in their own juices for a period of time?

For example, if a child thumps another at Iffley Mead, the pair of them sit down at a table and talk their issues through.

Similarly, if a pupil commits an act of petty vandalism, they are made to gather quotes to repair the damage and pay for it from their pocket money.

Some people were apoplectic when the cane was banned, fearing it would mean mob rule in the playground. Of course, it never came to pass.

If we are looking at ways of mending our "broken society", maybe we should concentrate on teaching youngsters how their behaviour affects others.

Then, in a few years' time, we may not have a broken society to mend.