By Amy Schostakowski, Rachel Claxton

Parents are being blamed for an alarming increase in the number of Prep school suspensions which have doubled in just two years.

Close to 400 suspensions were handed out to state school children between the ages of four, five and six last year.

Teachers say the onus needs to lay with paremts when it comes to their child’s behaviour.

Former Prep teacher and current Year one and two teacher Sheryl Roche spends most of her time discouraging inappropriate behaviour.

“Parents need to be parenting. We are here to educate and behaviour monitoring should be on the low key,” she said.

Figures show short-term Prep suspensions of five days or less, have jumped from 184 to 371 within a two-year time frame.

Long-term suspensions are  rare but have increased from five to eight over the same period.

Parents and Citizens Association of Queensland State president Margaret Leary says parents play a crucial role in their child’s  behaviour.

“As parents we need to talk to our children. You have to have conversations about what is acceptable at school and what isn’t,”she said.

Brisbane mother Jessica Grealy agrees that a child’s behaviour is the responsibility of the parent but feels the introduction of Prep year has been a rough transition for children.

“At such a young age children do find it difficult to get used to the formalised school setting when they are used to a play- based curriculum.”

State Education Minister Cameron Dick says the suspensions involve only a very small percentage of children.

“Suspension is a last resort for students participating in repeated bad behaviour. The overwhelming majority of students are well behaved,” Mr Dick said.