TEACHERS can prove highly influential in the lives of many of us and it’s easy to remember a special teacher who made a real difference.

However, they’re not magicians. They cannot always prevent disruptive and violent pupils from making classroom life unpleasant and difficult.

They also need the support of parents who take proper responsibility for their children, along with discipline in the home. Sadly, that remit does not take in all parents.

So perhaps it’s no surprise that new figures from the Department for Education show that there were more than 2,000 suspensions from Bolton’s schools during 2015/16, up from 1,970 the previous year.

Persistent disruptive behaviour was the main reason, accounting for 18 instances and seven suspensions were handed out for physical assault on an adult.

There were three permanent exclusions for a physical assault against a pupil, four for threatening a pupil and four for threatening an adult. There were 472 suspensions for verbal abuse and threatening behaviour towards an adult. The number of suspensions for racist abuse almost doubled from 20 to 38.

Worryingly, of the 47 permanent exclusions given to pupils, eight were to children still at primary school.

While parents are obviously not always to blame and may have done their best with discipline, boundaries and loving guidance, it’s reasonable to assume that in many cases the problems began at home.

Children who don’t understand boundaries or about acceptable behaviour probably don’t understand the need to behave in school.

Teachers have an almost impossible job these days in dealing with spoiled youngsters whose needs have dominated their home-life. They expect to come to school and be pampered in the same way, which is when the trouble starts.

The local authority provides additional support where necessary but education budgets are tighter than ever. The Depart of E says more money is being invested in schools but one way that might help is to put CCTV in every classroom.

At least that way identifying persistent bad behaviour is clear-cut with no disputes from parents, and it gives teachers more security in what is becoming a hazardous place to work.

Whatever else happens next, we need a sea-change in the way many parents treat their children and a recognition that they need to do more – not to give their children more material things – but to help prepare them to fit into life generally and school in particular.