Mothers are taking newborn babies into schools as part of a scheme being launched in Britain to help cut aggressive behaviour among pupils, including teenage boys. It is based on a programme called Roots of Empathy, which is running in 1579 schools across Canada and is reported to have helped children’s social and emotional knowledge. The programme, which involves monthly question and answer sessions with a mother and her baby, has also been taken up in Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

A pilot scheme in Liverpool has dramatically improved pupils’ behaviour, according to teachers. Paula Howard of De La Salle Humanities College, a school for 11- to 18-year-old boys, says teachers have “found a huge improvement in pupils’ behaviour and speaking and listening skills. One autistic child used to talk like a four-year-old. Since the scheme, his speech has improved and he uses longer, more structured sentences.”

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