OH dear, here we go again. The cause of all our present troubles is that political correctness and do-gooding has banished fear from our classrooms, re Trevor Jones' letter (Bolton Evening News, June 17).

How often does it need to be said that the essence of child behaviour (or misbehaviour) is fixed long before the child gets anywhere near a school?

The phrase "Give me a child for the first seven years and I will show you the man", is a sentiment attributed to Jesuits, but there is a lot of sense in it. And whoever is responsible for what happens in that first seven years, or at least half of it, and the crucial half at that, depends entirely upon the home environment.

The answer is not to re-introduce a regime of fear and brutality.

The question which people like your correspondent have to answer is, "Why is it that other societies can bring up their rising generation without beating them, and we can't?"

What is it with us Brits?

Peter Johnston

Kendal Road

Bolton