The Keele University study shows a 25 per cent increase over the past five years in the numbers who accuse other pupils of disrupting lessons.

The research into the attitudes of 11 to 16-year-olds in around 500 schools reveals increasing disillusionment among pupils who nevertheless are getting better-than-ever exam results.

It comes a week after Liverpool University research, commissioned by the National Union of Teachers, highlighted behaviour as a key reason for staff leaving the profession.

And John Bangs, NUT head of education, said: “No group is more upset by bad behaviour than the pupils themselves. In a short time decline in interest becomes despair and (the pattern) mirrors that of teachers. The collective human right to learn is matched by that of teachers to teach.”

In 199596, the proportion of pupils gaining five A* to C grade GCSEs was 44.5 per cent. Last year it rose to 49.8. National test results over the five years have also risen.

Mike Johnson, a research fellow at Keele, who has been studying pupil attitudes for 12 years, said: “Clearly pupils are succeeding in spite of the disruption.”

Five years ago, 32 per cent of pupils complained that lessons were disrupted daily by classmates. Latest findings, for 2001, show the figure has climbed to 40 per cent.

The Keele research is based on annual responses from pupils to questions on general satisfaction, relationships with teachers, parental support, peer-group influence and commitment to school. Since 1996 there has been a decline in positive responses across all areas.

Numbers of pupils truanting or being bullied remain almost constant at around 9 per cent and 6 per cent but the proportion complaining about disruption by classmates stands out clearly.

Mr Johnson said: “Pupils are not happy with school for whatever reason. Their attitudes towards schools get less favourable as time goes by.

“Messing about with the curriculum and the fact that teachers are really quite disenchanted cannot help but get through to children.”

The increase in complaints by pupils about disruptive classmates comes as police are being brought into schools in Northamptonshire and Thames Valley to help manage behaviour.

A police officer was stationed in Archbishop Michael Ramsey school in the London borough of Southwark in May and officers are due to go into 10 other schools in the borough this term.

Nigel de Gruchy, general secretary of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers, said: “It is very telling when pupils themselves say there is a problem. Perhaps the Government will believe us now when we complain about bad behaviour.”

A Department for Education and Skills spokesman said: “Schools should take account of pupils’ views when drawing up discipline policies and take seriously any complaints about disruption to their education.

“There is no evidence to suggest that there is a direct correlation between the Government’s drive to raise standards and pupils’ unhappiness.”

Analysis, 20-21