Student behaviour and attendance have seen a recent decline in the past few years, particularly after returning from the pandemic. GCSEs can be a time of turmoil for many students during their most important years in secondary school, but what if we could implement early intervention strategies to combat these challenges?
Ofsted has stated during inspections that they consider how schools:
“develops pupils’ characters, which we define as a set of positive personal traits, dispositions and virtues that informs pupils’ motivation and guides their conduct so that they reflect wisely, learn eagerly, behave with integrity and cooperate consistently well with others. This gives pupils the qualities they need to flourish in our society.”
Ultimately, schools and teachers should focus on the personal development of students to ensure that they will be well-prepared for adult life. This can be difficult to achieve in year 11 if a student is exhibiting lapses in behavioural judgement or refusing to attend school. There could be multiple reasons why a child is displaying poor behaviour such as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), ADHD, autism or pathological demand avoidance (PDA). What can we do to overcome these challenges?
Strategies to transform attendance and behaviour challenges
Unfortunately, there can be no one-size-fits-all approach to solving every student’s challenge. However, we must find the most suited solution that accommodates the specific needs of students.
The following strategies could be useful for you to overcome behaviour challenges currently prevalent with your students. There can be other methods you can integrate, make sure to conduct research and trail what works best.
Positive behaviour reinforcement – Positive affirmations and constant approval for students can raise their confidence and foster a sense of belonging. Make sure to provide a positive learning environment and celebrate when students behave accordingly.
Early intervention – Ultimately, year 11 could be too late when implementing a supportive plan for a student. This is why it is imperative that you implement early intervention methods from year 7 and continuously assess and evaluate students to year 10 to see what is and isn’t working. This way you can offer suitable solutions that accommodate their needs, you can see progression and it looks favourably in the eyes of Ofsted.
Collaborative approach with parents – Building parent’s trust, in line with the SEND & AP Improvement Plan is essential if a child is to achieve better experiences and outcomes in education and their final GCSE year. By collaborating with parents, you can offer solutions and discuss what works best for their child. This way you can improve behaviour and raise attendance using new alternative methods.
Using an online alternative provision
Online alternative provision (OAP) can be a transformative approach to supporting students with their attendance and also way before they reach the pinnacle GCSE year.
OAP, such as EDClass, can provide one-to-one support from UK-qualified teachers and attendance codes can be claimed by schools to raise attendance. In addition to this, teachers build meaningful relationships, trust and rapport with students to engage and improve the behaviour of students from primary to GCSE year.
If you would like to learn how EDClass can assist then call 01909 568338, email mail@edclass.com or enquire for more information here.
