The close link between behaviour and education is becoming ever more obvious. There is a vicious cycle in which children become alienated from school, become unpopular with teachers and peers, don’t learn to read or write effectively, exclude themselves through truancy or are excluded by the school, commit offences, get caught and lose touch with the education system altogether. For a growing number the trouble begins at primary school.

Now researchers have confirmed what many people in the field have understood for years. The competitive culture of league tables in schools is in direct conflict with the government’s aim of promoting social inclusion, and ending the cycle of poverty. The target of full-time, appropriate education for 90 per cent of young offenders in the community within a year is a challenging but highly necessary one. But in the end it is in the mainstream education service that changes are needed. As a speaker at the Youth Justice Board’s recent conference on learning and skills said, we cannot claim to have a universal education service unless it can respond to the needs of children with multiple problems.

But if state education is to retain public support, schools also have to meet the needs of the mainstream - pupils whose parents want and expect good examination results, and a safe and ordered learning environment for their children. An inclusive culture in all schools should be an explicit requirement, but to achieve it they will need all the resources and expertise necessary, including on-site specialist staff, as well as a curriculum which offers real opportunities for achievement and success to every child.