An independent review providing practical guidance to teachers
about how to tackle bad behaviour in the classroom has been
published today (24 March 2017).
Teacher and behaviour expert Tom Bennett spent several months
meeting classroom teachers and leaders from a variety of schools
to identify successful strategies used to tackle disruptive
behaviour.
His report ‘Creating a culture: how
school leaders can optimise behaviour’concludes that while
there is no ‘silver bullet’, there are a variety of strategies
that can be used to tackle poor behaviour.
It also highlights that although standards of behaviour can be a
challenge for schools, leadership is key to creating the right
culture to tackle this issue.
Tom Bennett said:
How well students behave in school is crucial to how far they
succeed, socially and academically. There are many tremendous
schools doing a superb job, and some schools that could improve
a great deal.
I spoke to leaders of coastal schools, inner-city schools,
rural, primary, secondary, alternative provision and asked them
what they did. Every school has different circumstances and
challenges, but we found that some themes were almost
universal: clear routines, robustly administered, high
expectations and a focus on building a strong sense of identity
and good relationships where children feel they belong, are
safe, and are expected to do their best. That’s why I called it
‘creating a culture’. Because these things don’t happen by
accident.
We also need to acknowledge that in some schools, challenges
faced are greater than in others, and in these circumstances we
need to look at better ways of guaranteeing that provision,
skill sets and support are available. The skills required to
improve school behaviour cultures already exist within the
ecosystem of schools. The challenge now is for us to
collaborate as a community to do so.
The Department for Education has welcomed the report and will now
use its findings to inform ongoing work to help and support
schools to deal with this issue.
MP, Minister for Vulnerable
Children and Families, said:
Part of our plan for Britain is building a fairer society –
with a good school place for every child. That means children
being able to learn in classrooms that are free from
disruption. Tom Bennett’s report is relevant, insightful and
draws on tried and tested methods that will provide real help
to teachers across the country.
I would encourage all school leaders to use its practical
examples to help create a positive environment that addresses
the needs of their pupils.
National Association of Head Teachers General Secretary Russell
Hobby said:
The design of a culture to support good behaviour is a central
duty of every school leader. It requires clarity, consistency
and courage. It is a conscious choice, constantly maintained.
Tom’s report distils practical advice from excellent schools,
alongside the evidence from research, to help leaders reflect
on and develop their own impact.
John d’Abbro, executive headteacher of New Rush Hall School,
said:
This is a refreshingly powerful, down to earth, and practical
report, which distils and recognises effective good practice.
Tom makes the key point that continuous professional
development in behaviour management is vital for both teachers
and senior leaders and more needs to be made available. The
case studies exemplify these points and further demonstrate
that behaviour is a whole-school issue.
Alison Colwell, principal of Ebbsfleet Academy, which was visited
as part of the review, said:
This fascinating report should be read by every school leader.
It rightly emphasises the critical importance of culture,
attention to detail and consistent practice, all of which are
at the heart of strong and successful school leadership.
In its response to the report, the government has set out a
number of measures that are being taken forward to address the
points raised. These include:
- reforming National Professional Qualifications to equip
school leaders with the knowledge and skills they need to deal
with bad behaviour. The new qualifications will be delivered from
September 2017
- encouraging providers to bid for funding from a pot of £75
million from the Teaching and Leadership
Innovation Fund to develop and run professional
development programmes tackling bad behaviour for leaders in
challenging areas
- revising our existing advice for schools including the mental
health and behaviour guidance to ensure they support teachers and
school leaders as best as they possibly can
- conducting further research into what works to help young
people with behavioural issues, and as such, continue to develop
our long-term ambition to give control of alternative provision
budgets to mainstream schools, allowing these to commission their
own such provision and take responsibility for educational
outcomes of their pupils
Several schools are identified in the report as exemplars of good
practice. These include:
Robert Clack, Dagenham
In one of the poorest boroughs of London, children from
traditionally underachieving demographics exceed national
expectations, and have done so for many years. The school uses
practical measures such as wall displays to emphasise
achievements, school awards and other opportunities. In this way,
a culture of high expectation is in place for all students,
regardless of their circumstances.
New Rush Hall, Redbridge
The school’s philosophy is that the most vulnerable, the most
challenging pupils, need greater support, not less. The school
ensures staff receive training throughout their careers to meet
the needs of the student body.
Seymour Road Primary, Manchester
A school that went from requires improvement to good in just 2
years by developing good relationships with both parents and
pupils. They have done this by having an open door policy for
parents, a support worker who visits homes, and they have held
behaviour training sessions for the parents.
Notes to editors
Since 2010 the government has introduced a range of measures to
give teachers more powers to tackle poor behaviour. These
include:
- stronger powers to search pupils
- removal of the requirement to give parents 24 hours’ written
notice of ‘after-school’ detentions
- clarified teachers’ power to use of reasonable force
- updated advice on tough but proportionate sanctions for
misbehaviour as well as ensuring schools’ decisions on exclusions
can no longer be overruled
- ensuring that all teachers are equipped with the skills to
tackle both the serious behaviour issues that compromise the
safety and wellbeing of pupils, as well as how to deal with
low-level disruption that stops children from learning properly
