Poor behaviour in schools is caused by boring, repetitive and badly planned lessons, according to Ofsted, the schools watchdog.

Far from blaming the usual culprits of yob culture or irresponsible parenting for persistent poor discipline, Ofsted said that the teaching profession was guilty of failures that disheartened pupils and staff alike. “In most cases, behaviour issues stemmed from students’ frustration with unsatisfactory teaching in a few classrooms and a curriculum that did not motivate a vocal minority,” it said.

The report drew an angry response from the National Union of Teachers, the main teaching union. It gave warning of a return to the “bad old days” of the late 1990s, when Ofsted, with Chris Woodhead as its controversial chief inspector, was constantly at loggerheads with teachers.

Ofsted’s verdict coincided with the publication of a new study from the IPPR think-tank, which claimed that Britain’s teenagers were among the most unruly in Europe.

But the watchdog noted that poor behaviour among adolescents in schools was neither inevitable nor entrenched. It could often be turned around “in a reasonably short time” with a fresh approach from teachers.

Too often children acted up in class simply because they did not find their lessons interesting and did not like their teachers. At the same time teachers often failed to implement the school’s own rules on behaviour, the report, based on 71 secondary schools in England with unsatisfactory behaviour records, found.

Teachers could improve discipline and motivation quickly if they gave more varied classes and formed better relationships with pupils, the report suggested.

Some pupils disliked individual teachers so much that they would bunk off if certain members of staff were in school rather than turn up to class. This particularly affected schools with a high turnover of staff.

“Students were fed up with changes in teachers and with temporary teachers who did not know them or how the school worked. Indeed, in one school, staff reported that students inquired whether particular teachers were in school that day before deciding to walk through the school gates,” the report said.

Some heads were unable to tackle discipline problems because they were distracted and too busy working on bids to take part in some of the Government’s school reforms.

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