AN EDUCATION expert from Ilkley has produced an invaluable but quirky guide for teachers facing difficult pupils.

'The Art of War for Teachers' is published at a time when the education system is in crisis with a worrying increase in the breakdown of discipline in the classroom.

According to the author, Simon Green:

l Fifty-seven per cent of teachers may be physically or verbally abused every day.

l Fear of attack - either verbal or physical - comes top of the list of teachers' causes of stress.

l Insecurity in the face of teenagers is the main reason for newly qualified teachers quitting the classroom.

l Breakdown of discipline in the classroom is cited by more than 70 per cent of teachers considering early retirement.

Mr Green's book is a handbook of practical wisdom, advice and encouragement for all teachers everywhere.

He said: "It is based on the teachings of Sun Tzu, a Chines philosopher general in 400 BC and offers enlightenment on the most intractable problems for all who feel threatened, confused or anxious."

Mr Green, of Springs Lane, is a language teaching adviser with a national reputation and in demand as an in-service trainer.

He often uses quotes from Sun Tzu in training courses and has modelled several workshops on the principles outlined in 'The Art of War'.

Mr Green, who works at Trinity and All Saints College, Horsforth, said that he started using quotes from Sun Tzu when he gave lectures and talks to people involved in training teachers.

"I thought there were some very interesting messages for those in the training business and afterwards several people came up and asked for the quotes and the book developed from there," said Mr Green.

According to the publisher: "The book is inspirational in tone, down-to-earth in content and witty in many of its aphorisms. This book is destined to become a standard text for all who are learning to teach, for all who labour to train them and for all who do battle on a daily basis in the field of classroom conflict."

Among the quotes in the book from which embattled teachers can take inspiration are: 'Too frequent rewards indicate that the general is at the end of his resources: too frequent punishments indicate that the general is in acute distress.'

Mr Green hopes that the wisdom coming down the centuries from the East can give teachers more confidence to deal effectively with unruly pupils.