ABSTRACT
Prior to the decision being taken in both the primary and the secondary sector there have been a considerable amount of formal and informal discussion amongst the school staff about the problem. The primary schools were more likely to mention parental involvement in discussions prior to a decision to refer. In both primary and secondary schools it is the responsibility of senior staff to be sensitive to and supportive in the difficulties faced by their colleagues. One secondary school suggested that girls do not group in the same way as boys, and that there is more chance of boys' cultural activity clashing with the teachers' expectations of behaviour. In the field of disruptive or maladjusted behaviour it was felt that student teachers were particularly ill prepared by a training system which made them feel that failure of discipline was personal failure.
