While it is positive to note from Behaviour in Scottish Schools 2012 that, overall, a large majority of staff found pupils to be generally well behaved (“Schools spare the rod to boost behaviour”, 5 October), the impact of low-level indiscipline within schools remains a cause for concern.

It is also of concern that 53 per cent of secondary support staff disagreed that classroom assistants were adequately trained to deal with the behaviours they were presented with in the classroom. They must be given the training they need.

When will the Scottish government remember the 2007 report that described classroom assistants as “valuable assets”? Voice Scotland has pressed it to take the lead in raising the status, morale and remuneration of classroom assistants, who play such an important role in Scotland’s schools.

Voice is pleased, however, that the Scottish Advisory Group on Behaviour in Schools (SAGBiS), on which it is represented, will use the findings to develop an action plan that will set out how we intend to address the issues raised in the report.

Jennifer Hannah, senior professional officer (Scotland), Voice: the union for education professionals.