Lone mothers and family breakdown to blame for errant children

Growing indiscipline and problem behaviour in schoolchildren have been blamed on inadequate parents, lone mothers, and the breakdown of families, in a report by commissioned by a Tory borough, writes Will Bennett.

A report by Michael Stoten, executive director of education for the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, says an increasing number of divorces are partly to blame but so are 'a considerable increase in the number of single mothers who have never been married, more and more of whom have several children by different fathers.'

Mr Stoten said difficulties are also caused by the 'different attitudes to all of these social factors from different cultures' in the area. The Labour Party criticised the report as racist and as targeting unfairly the most vulnerable.

Leading article, page 18

Letters, page 19