Rude teachers creating impolite pupils

 Ill-mannered teachers risk creating rude children by failing to say “please” and “thank you”, a school head of department has said.

Pupils must learn about the importance of using the correct etiquette and the best way to achieve this is for teachers to lead by example, according to Stephanie Keenan, the head of English at Ruislip High School.

She said that children with good manners are more likely to succeed later in life and therefore schools should teach their pupils how to be courteous. Writing in the Times Educational Supplement magazine, Ms Keenan said: “You might have a universal expectation that teachers greet students at the door at the start of each lesson, wishing them ‘good morning’ or ‘good afternoon’, and then thank them for their work at the end.”

Ms Keenan added that teachers should address pupils using polite language, such as saying “walking in the corridors, please” rather than “don’t run” or “excuse me” rather than “move” if they are blocking the way.