I have worked in a Secondary school in the UK for the past twelve years.

During that time I have seen a dramatic drop in the standards of behaviour of the vast majority of pupils to the extent that it seems that most cannot string a sentence together without using the 'f' word. They march through held-open doors without so much as an acknowledgement let alone a 'thank-you' and they seem to take delight in being aggressive towards one and all (their peers as well as the adults they come into contact with).

I have pondered what has produced this rapid change.

Is it the lack of adequate role-models? It used to be that children looked up to those in authority. Parents, teachers and law enforcement officers were held in high esteem. And their heroes were the good guys in the movies.

What do they get now? A T.V. diet of soaps and 'reality' shows where it seems that the more foul-mouthed and agressive the personality, the higher-paid and better regarded they are. The Jades of this world are going to have a lot to answer for.

As for food, just like computers, if you put rubbish in you get rubbish out. It is not reasonable to assume that a child fed a diet deficient in nutrients will be able to concentrate on learning to moderate their behaviour and absorb the information given to them in their lessons.

If they don't have the cake to eat and instead are presented with no choice but to eat healthy food or go hungry, there is at least a chance that they will eat the healthy food. Most children given a choice will eat the cake and ignore the salad.

More than fifty years ago the UK government introduced free milk for pupils in school because they realised the benefit to some children who otherwise, due to poverty, would be very poorly nourished. This free milk was abolished many years ago but some children are still poorly nourished although it is now through the ignorance of their parents as to what constitutes an adequate diet.

We are turning out a generation of obese, foul-mouthed, workshy individuals who may well fail to live as long as their parents.

I sometimes despair.

Christine