BAD behaviour by pupils travelling on school buses causes headaches across the country. In York, most pupils behave well. Some, freed from the rigour of the school day, struggle to contain their exuberance. They are noisy and animated - traits magnified by the confined space of the bus deck - but they mean no harm.

A minority, however, go beyond boisterousness. Passengers forced to share a bus with schoolchildren have been subjected to foul language and worse. Drivers tell horror stories of rowdy youngsters throwing missiles and fighting. Occasionally, a pupil lands in court charged with vandalism or assault. But this happens too rarely to dissuade others.

Lack of supervision is the problem. Children are not under the charge of parents or teachers on the journey between home and school. The most unruly among them take advantage of this, to the distress and discomfort of other passengers.

So Fulford School is to be commended for taking responsibility for its pupils on school bus journeys.

There is nothing to suggest that Fulford's commuting students are any worse or better behaved than their counterparts from others schools, but the head teacher has acknowledged the school's obligation to the bus company and the passengers.

Fulford sixth formers will now patrol school buses, monitoring the behaviour of younger pupils. They will not intervene, but will report troublemakers.

This is a return to the days when school prefects were a respected extra tier of authority. It will be a character-building exercise for the sixth formers involved. If they can impose their presence on the troublemakers, they will act as a deterrent to bad behaviour.

We hope this experiment works. Curbing the rowdy element would certainly make bus journeys more enjoyable for the children, other passengers and the driver.

No doubt other schools will be watching the results with interest. Success could see prefect patrols introduced to other bus services, here and elsewhere.

Updated: 10:26 Wednesday, March 06, 2002