Teachers can have a much easier time in class if unruly children are tackled early in life, the moment symptoms of bad behaviour appear, a former teacher has stated in a book.

Pat Coates, a retired Lincolnshire teacher, argues in her book that tackling bad behaviour at an early age in primary school can make a difference later in life.

"If these children are not dealt with when they are young then they turn into people who could cause problems in later life," she told thisislincolnshire.co.uk.

"Teachers can deal with the issues but it is the time it takes to deal with the children that disrupts the rest of the class," added the teacher who has 35 years teaching experience.

She went on to say that the majority of children were of good conduct but "the problem is a minority of children who cause teachers to waste time in the classroom".

Her book titled Did Your Child Do Nothing at School Today? is published by Lulu.com.