A mother has spoken out in favour of the Ministry of Education's policy to keep students on suspension in school.

Rosemary Pedro -- who has four children attending Island schools -- said that the in-school suspension that her ten-year-old son received was a more appropriate and successful punishment than sending him home would have been.

The Royal Gazette reported yesterday that principals at Island schools were recently notified that as of September, schools will no longer be able to punish students for bad behaviour by suspending them from school.

Critics say that the move takes responsibility away from parents for their children's behaviour and that schools lack space and personnel to supervise suspended students in school, but away from their classmates.

But Ms Pedro -- who's son attends Elliott Primary -- said that he was given a one week, in-school suspension for pricking a fellow student with a compass.

"It really worked for him,'' said Ms Pedro. "I work and if he'd been sent home he would have had his freedom to watch TV, play games and so on. But having it in school was real punishment for him.'' She said her son, who is in a P-6 class, spent the week in school being supervised within a P-1 class and was not allowed to participate in sports or to go outside for lunch or recess breaks.

Ms Pedro said the school notified her of the cause and nature of her son's suspension in a letter which she was asked to sign by way of permission.

"At first I was upset,'' she said. "But now I see the lesson it has taught him. He'll think twice before he does anything like that again.'' Ms Pedro said she believed Elliott Primary had been using the in school suspension programme for a number of months, although the article which ran yesterday said the programme was only in place in Middle and Senior schools.

In September however, Island schools at all levels will be expected to comply.

Ms Pedro said, rather than taking responsibility away from parents, the in-school suspension programme would be "aiding'' parents.

"At home he would have the ability to do whatever he wants. With the punishment in school and someone constantly supervising him, he had no freedom and will be deterred from acting that way again,'' she said.

And she said now her son knows he has to respect his teachers.

"He knows he has to respect the fact his teachers have authority over him because (his) mom's going to let them have authority over him,'' Ms Pedro said.

She added that some parents might not have signed the in-school suspension letter "because they too have problems with authority''.

But she said, as a parent she was glad her son learned a lesson about respecting authority because that is a lesson he will need throughout his life as he moves into the working world.

And she said she was glad that Education Minister Milton Scott had decided to implement the new policy.

"I think it is a good option for the Ministry to pursue,'' she said. "Like anything else it may not work in all cases, but I think it helps students in most cases.''