Jack McConnell chaired the meeting

He wants an improvement in secondary school pupils' discipline - by targeting children in primary schools.

At the group's first meeting, Mr McConnell was due to ask members to embark on a long term strategy of promoting better self discipline among primary children - both inside and outside of the classroom.

Parents will also be encouraged to take greater responsibility for promoting good behaviour.

And in the shorter term, higher standards of behaviour will be set for secondary schools.

There will also be extra help to enable the schools and local authorities to meet these targets.

Teachers have been claiming for years that a small but disruptive minority has created a rising tide of indiscipline in Scotland's classrooms.

Bullying incident

Last November one of Scotland's top private schools expelled one pupil and suspended six others for a week after an Asian teacher was intimidated.

The seven boys, aged 16 and 17, from Stewart's Melville College in Edinburgh, were disciplined following a bullying incident in a computing class taken by a female teacher.

Principal David Gray said at the time that remarks made by one boy during the incident could be described as "having racial overtones but, on the other hand it might not".

The expelled pupil had been on a final warning after being suspended twice previously.