Levels of truancy, serious offending, drinking and smoking are rising among teenagers, and more are falling victim to crime, according to a study of classrooms in England and Wales.

Party Response: Liberal Democrat

Mark Oaten, Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, said: "These figures give a grim picture of teenagers playing truant and drinking in shopping arcades.

"This lifestyle is often the first step towards a life of crime and the government now has to get a grip on this generation."

Party Response: Conservative

David Davis MP shadow home secretary, said:“It is outrageous that more than one in four teenagers committed an offence in the last year. Labour came to power promising to cut youth crime and pledging 'zero tolerance' on anti-social behaviour. They have clearly broken their promise. More kids than ever are roaming our streets, taking drugs and carrying out serious crimes. Today’s youth crime is tomorrow’s serious crime. The government should get a grip on youth crime as a matter of urgency.”

Forum Brief: Professional Association of Teachers

Jean Gemmell, PAT general secretary, said: "These figures are worrying, both for the young people concerned and for their fellow pupils and school staff.

"Violent or disruptive behaviour by pupils is a major concern for teachers and we know that many teachers have left the profession because of it. Secondary schools have been working hard for many years to improve pupils' behaviour while the government has not helped by changing the rules on school exclusions several times.

"Pupils with drink or drug problems must be given support and counselling from an early stage so they can continue their education and be helped to break away from drugs or alcohol. Quality drug and alcohol education in schools is the first line of defence. It needs to be well funded, delivered by well-trained teachers and given appropriate time in the curriculum.

"Schools can only improve behaviour with the co-operation of parents and the wider community, including the government. Truancy and anti-social behaviour are not problems that schools can tackle alone. Schools, parents and the wider community need to work in partnership to ensure that pupils attend school regularly.

"Teachers do need the support of parents to help to resolve these problems. Parents need to realise that they can be held responsible for their children's failure to attend school and be taken to court. We are very concerned about the number of children who truant with their parents' knowledge - and even take unauthorised time off school with their parents. However, fining or imprisoning parents should be a last resort, as sending parents to prison has an adverse effect on family life.

"We need to encourage parents to foster in their children a greater respect for schools and a belief in the importance of education. The government too must look at and tackle the underlying causes of truancy and anti-social behaviour.

"The media too have a certain responsibility for pupils' behaviour by making celebrities out of people who don't provide good role models.

"The media also often reflect the attitude of many people that heavy drinking and getting drunk are an acceptable part of 'having a good time'. We therefore welcome the Prime Minister's recent pledge to tackle binge drinking.

"On a positive note, PAT supports the 14-19 curriculum changes because we believe that when pupils enjoy their education they are much more likely to behave well."

Forum Response: National Union of Teachers

John Bangs, chairman of the NUT, said: "Figures in the Home Office report are seriously concerning. The one positive aspect of the report however are the figures indicating that the use of illegal drug amongst teenagers has levelled out.

"There seems to be an indirect link between the pupils behaviour in schools and them being involved in crime. The level of aggression of these teenagers provides them with the capacity to destroy everything else in the school and it needs to be tackled. I don't believe parents or pupils in these occasions appreciate what school offers them.

"If anything was to come out of a new Children's Bill it would be that other services would work to tackle this and pick up the tab."

Forum Response: Prince's Trust

A spokesman for the Prince's Trust said:"We need to re-engage this age group if we don't want them to be seriously disadvantaged in later life. Government proposals to tailor learning around a young person's individual needs are a step in the right direction.