HEADTEACHERS in the region gave a mixed response yesterday to Government plans to introduce parenting orders to curb unruly schoolchildren.

Education Secretary David Blunkett has announced plans to extend the orders, which were introduced last July, to cover youngsters' behaviour inside as well as outside school.

It would give headteachers the power to ask the local education authority to apply to magistrates for an order.

It would also help crackdown on abusive or violent parents, who could be forced to attend parenting classes or be made responsible for enforcing a curfew imposed on their child.

Headteacher Keith Cotgrave, president of the County Durham National Association of Headteachers, last night welcomed the move.

"It could be a very positive thing," he said.

"Heads spend an inordinate amount of time on these issues and any further powers which could help solve the problems would be welcomed."

Nigel de Gruchy, general secretary of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) said: ''I welcome the targeting of parents who are invariably the prime source of the problem."

But Richard Appleton, headteacher of Eastbourne School, in Darlington, said he believed parents needed more help and understanding, not legal action.

"We understand a lot of the difficulties that the parents have and it would be extremely unusual if we would need to resort to a parenting order," he said.

The move, which will go to consultation, was announced by Mr Blunkett in a pre-election speech at the Secondary Heads Association conference in Gwent.

He also unveiled a £100m boost for schools to pay their experienced teachers £31,000 or £36,000 for those with management responsibilities. The cash will become available after 2002.

Other key aspects of his speech were plans to extend the primary school literacy and numeracy drive to secondary schools. From this September, 11 to 14-year-old pupils will be expected to do a minimum of three hours of whole-class English and maths lessons a week.

And as part of the crackdown on disruptive pupils, the number of in-school ''learning support units'' - where unruly youngsters are sent instead of being suspended or expelled - will be increased by 50, bringing the total to 1050.