Passing your nightmare pupils on to a supposedly tougher and more senior member of staff for treatment is the biggest classroom management mistake you can make, according to users on The TES staffroom.

“The kids just get a clear message that `you can’t deal with me, but a stronger member of staff can’,” notes luckynumber7. “Now I deal with and follow up all issues and give written copies of behaviour and actions to whoever needs them. If a pupil has done something that bad in my lesson, I insist they go to exclusion. Letting other people deal with your behaviour issues has nowhere near the same impact.”

“When kids do something that is more serious than just a detention (threatening you or a pupil; damaging others’ work or property; assaults; bullying), I used to abide by school policy and refer it on, only for nothing to be done - except me getting the blame,” writes garyconyers. “If I was going to be a teacher again then any of the above crimes committed would be dealt with by me - I would phone home, explain what had happened, perhaps threaten to call the police if it happens again. Letting senior management sweep serious behaviour under the carpet is not a good idea.”

Ah, those senior managers. Observer2 has a sobering tale to tell. “Yesterday a pupil swore at me and the support teacher and behaved in a very threatening way. I took him to the head and later was told he was advised that if he ever felt upset, frustrated or angry he should leave the room and find her or another manager to talk to. He was not sent home - there were no consequences for his behaviour. I wonder if she would be so accommodating to me if I turned up to work late, frustrated and was threatening towards another member of staff?”

Join the debate at www.tes.co.ukstaffroom.