Girls’ behaviour at school is deteriorating due to the appeal of Wag lifestyles and reality TV shows, according to teachers.

They are giving up on studying because they want an ‘easy route to money’ by becoming a footballer’s wife or an instant star on Britain’s Got Talent or The X Factor.

Many want to become a mini-celebrity instantly so they try to attract attention from boys by disrupting classes, spreading rumours and even cyber-bullying.

As a result, teachers’ time is increasingly taken up dealing with ‘horsing around’, use of mobile phones in lessons and bullying.

The Association of Teachers and Lecturers surveyed 859 teachers, heads, lecturers and support staff working in state and independent schools ahead of its annual conference, which begins in Liverpool today.

Nearly half said girls’ behaviour has worsened over the past two years. And one in five believes that girls’ behaviour is more challenging than that of boys.

Hank Roberts, ATL’s junior vice president, cited the influence of Wags – young women who obtain instant wealth by marrying sportsmen.

And he insisted that teaching is made more difficult by programmes such as The X Factor, which is judged by Cheryl Cole – herself the winner of a TV talent show and a former footballer’s wife.

Mr Roberts, a teacher at Copland Community School in Wembley, said that the TV shows create a ‘false image of success, that anyone can do it and it’s just a matter of luck rather than hard work’.

Other reasons given for girls’ bad behaviour are bust-ups with friends and family and problems associated with puberty. Almost half of teachers said the most common form of bad behaviour is bullying by isolating another pupil, spreading rumours and making ‘snide looks across the classroom’.