Seven in 10 teachers have considered quitting the profession because of badly-behaved pupils, according to a survey.

A poll of more than 350 teachers found that over nine in 10 (91.9 per cent) believe behaviour in the classroom has worsened over the course of their career.

Nearly half (45.2 per cent) said behaviour in their current, or most recent school was “inadequate”, while only one in five (19.7 per cent) said they would say it was “good” or “outstanding”.

Over half (56.8 per cent) said they were deliberately verbally distracted by pupils on a daily basis over their last year of teaching, while nearly a third (31.8 per cent) said pupils refusing to work had been a daily occurrence.

The 2010 Behaviour Survey, conducted by the Teacher Support Network, Parentline Plus and the National Union of Teachers found that dealing with unruly pupils is harming teachers’ health and leaving many thinking about a career change.

More than a third (36.8 per cent) said they had taken time off work, while two-fifths (40.5 per cent) said they had applied for a job in another school. Some 70.8 per cent said they had considered leaving teaching.

And more than eight in 10 (81.2 per cent) said they had experienced stress, anxiety or depression.

Julian Stanley, chief executive officer of the Teacher Support Network, said: “We know from the marked increase in the use of our behaviour-related services over the last year, that poor behaviour is at the heart of many teachers’ health and well-being issues.

“We are not saying that behaviour is an issue in every classroom, in every school, but we are concerned that poor behaviour is leading some great teachers to leave the profession. Parents and teachers need to work together to create safe, respectful school communities, where teachers, and by extension their children, can reach their full potential.”

The survey also reveals that a third (33 per cent) of teachers think that power to search pupils for pornography, cigarettes, drugs, alcohol and other legal highs is “essential” in improving pupil behaviour, with 42 per cent saying power to search for pupils stolen property or other items that could pose a threat to safety was essential.

Local authorities and schools have used few parenting contracts and no parenting orders to deal with bad behaviour in the classroom, it said.

The department of education announced new proposals in August designed to improve behaviour in schools, including allowing heads and school staff to search pupils for mobile phones, pornography and cigarettes and improving guidance on using force in the classroom.