ABSTRACT
Difficult schools are inundated with punishments and sanctions. And yet for all the endless punishing, there are always pupils who need punishing. The number of permanent and temporary exclusions is usually high, but it is only the tip of the iceberg if you consider all the terrible acts of verbal abuse, bullying, fighting and lesson interruptions that occur every day. Clearly, punishment has not worked and is not the way to improve many difficult schools.
