Violent children pose growing problems: How Lithuania and other EU countries are responding

Violence, bullying, threats and repeated serious disciplinary violations are creating an increasingly difficult problem for schools: how to respond when a pupil’s behaviour threatens others without taking away the child’s right to education.

Austria has chosen to tighten its existing arrangements this year. Pupils suspended from attending school for longer periods will no longer be able simply to spend that time at home.

Instead, they will have to follow a compulsory programme combining education, psychosocial support and reintegration. Parents will also be required to cooperate.

The approach reflects the wider challenge facing Lithuania and other European Union countries as schools seek measures that address dangerous or seriously disruptive behaviour while keeping children connected to education.