Staff will also be able to search children for a wide range of items and punish those misbehaving with immediate detentions, the proposals will say.

Teachers who are the subject of complaints from pupils will not be identified and will be able to continue working until criminal charges are brought.

The plans will be announced by Nick Gibb, the schools minister. Some of the measures will require new laws, while others can be introduced by issuing guidance to schools.

Mr Gibb told The Daily Telegraph that the measures were necessary to “shift the balance of power back to teachers”.

He said “poorly-behaved children” were detecting “weakness” in teachers and disrupting classrooms to the detriment of other pupils’ education.

The minister will unveil a four-point scheme to improve standards immediately. It will be followed by other measures later in the year.

These are expected to include the reintroduction of compulsory uniforms for schoolchildren. The measures to be unveiled on Wednesday include:

• Encouraging teachers to make greater use of physical force to “maintain good order”. Although its use is permitted legally in classrooms, provided pupils are not injured, it is rarely used by teachers because of fear of prosecution.

The Government will clarify and strengthen guidance for teachers and encourage them to make use of the powers whenappropriate.

• Giving teachers the power to conduct more searches of pupils. At the moment, teachers are only allowed to search for a narrow range of items including alcohol, weapons, drugs and stolen items.

This list will be widened to include personal electronic devices – such as mobile phones and MP3 players, pornography, cigarettes, fireworks and ''legal highs’’. Ministers hope to give teachers the power to search for any item they wish but this is currently not possible under human rights laws.

• Allowing teachers the right to impose immediate detentions on poorly-behaved pupils. At present, schools must give 24 hours’ notice and write to parents before detaining children. This “cumbersome process” will be scrapped.

• Giving anonymity to teachers facing accusations of misconduct from their pupils. Ministers believe that the “vilification” of those facing false accusations is unacceptable and may be preventing people from entering the profession. About one in four teachers has faced false allegations. Only teachers facing criminal charges will be identified and prevented from working.

Mr Gibb believes the measures are essential to improving classroom discipline, which will push up educational standards.

“The whole package is about shifting the balance in schools back towards teachers and creating safe classrooms,” he said. “By shifting rights back to teachers it will ultimately benefit all pupils.”

The minister said the breakdown in classroom discipline was the culmination of a “long accretion over the years as children became more aware of their rights, and teachers became more fearful”.

The drive to improve classroom discipline is a cause which has been championed personally by David Cameron, the Prime Minister, who regards the measures as crucial.
--By Robert Winnett,06 Jul 2010