The Tories claim school indiscipline is not being tackled effectively

Tory education spokesman Lord James Douglas Hamilton criticised the Scottish Executive for classroom disruption.

Speaking during a debate at Holyrood, Lord James said there must be a stronger deterrent to bad behaviour.

Education Minister Peter Peacock said schools had not become "riot zones".

Lord James criticised the executive for its decision to scrap annual figures on indiscipline, which he said included verbal and physical assaults.

This came, he told MSPs, despite an attack on school staff members every 12 minutes in 2003.

Empower teachers

"We accept that in many cases indiscipline may take the form of low-level disruption in the classroom, but in an increasing number of cases, teachers and the well-behaved majority of pupils are subject to verbal and physical abuse," he said.

"We want to protect the rights of teachers to pursue their profession and teach and we want to protect the rights of the majority of children to learn unhindered.

"We will give schools and headteachers, not local authorities, the final say over whether a pupil is excluded."

Peter Peacock said the system is not in meltdown

However, Mr Peacock accused the Tories of exaggerating and said the problem of unruly pupils was being dealt with effectively.

"There are serious problems about indiscipline but our schools are not riot zones, as the Tories like to paint them," the minister said.

"The system is not in chaos and total meltdown. Headteachers have not lost control of their schools or their staffrooms."

Mr Peacock said the Tories' record on indiscipline was "abysmal" and accused them of not spending "a brass farthing" to support teachers.