Under the rules, schools are told to:

• Consider calling in police to prosecute pupils who make serious false allegations against staff;

• Resolve the vast majority of accusations made by pupils within a month and ensure unfounded claims are not included in teachers’ records;

• Punish pupils for misbehaviour and bullying committed outside schools, including at evenings and weekends;

• Search pupils’ clothing, bags and lockers for drugs, alcohol, weapons and stolen goods without their consent;

• Consider forcing all pupils to undergo airport-style screening checks as they enter school even if they are not suspected of carrying weapons;

• Require all parents to sign “home school agreements” and apply to the courts for £50 spot fines or parenting orders if sons or daughters regularly misbehave or skip classes.

Some of the most comprehensive guidance covers the use of “reasonable force” to restrain pupils.

This can include standing between pupils or physically blocking their path, guiding children by the arm or holding youngsters to get them under control.

Staff should “always try to avoid acting in a way that might cause injury, but in extreme cases it may not always be possible to avoid injuring the pupil”, the document says.

Physical force can be used to break up fights, stop children attacking classmates or teachers and to remove disruptive children from lessons or school events.

Schools do not need parents’ permission to use force and must not automatically suspend staff who are accused of using excessive force against children, says the guidance.

¶ 6:27 PM