Reading time: 2 minutes
More than 100,000 students were absent from school in Scotland on one day at the end of August, according to Government figures (12%).
Health anxieties amongst parents and pupils means that many pupils are reluctant to return to the classroom.
The Government has said that it will fine families who do not attend. But how will this work and do you have a contingency plan in place? This blog post tells you all you need to know.
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“Behaviour management is a subject that causes a lot of heat, and sometimes a lot less light”. That is the view of Ofsted’s Amanda Spielman, who made improving behaviour in schools one of her greatest priorities when she took over in office.
Monitoring behaviour can be the first step to eradicating bad behaviour from your classroom. Providing pupils with feedback backed up with results you can evidence is more likely to trigger a reaction from your students.
This is where a behaviour tracker comes in. But what is one and how can it help in your school? This blog post explains.
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Raising standards of behaviour remains a significant challenge for many schools.
Many actions can be taken in order for schools to improve. No matter how skilled the teacher, intervention at a policy level from a senior leader can have far greater an impact than a classroom teacher can.
How can your school create a culture to raise standards of behaviour? This blog post explains.
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Reading time: 3 minutes
Racist bullying is endemic in our schools in the UK, according to a report on racism in schools released this week.
Analysis of Government figures by campaigners Hope Not Hate – and published in the London Evening Standard – found that English schools suspended or permanently excluded students 4,904 times for racist abuse in 2018-19.
It marks a 13% increase from 4,329 which was record in 2017-18 – and it is the highest number since records began in 2006.
Why is racist bullying so high and what can be done about it? This blog post explains.
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Reading time: 7 minutes
There is a wide range of research on the ramifications of poor pupil behaviour and behavioural repair.
Though there may be a common perception that the younger generation is “worse than their predecessors“, due to behaviour repair the opposite is true.
When surveyed, 70-76% of teachers say that behaviour is good or better in their school. How is behavioural repair contributing to this and what can you do to ensure behaviour support in your classroom?
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The children’s commissioner, Anne Longfield OBE, has issued concern over the use of school isolation booths, according to the Guardian.
Ms Longfield described “horror stories” as she visited isolation units in schools throughout the UK.
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Restorative justice in schools has become more common in recent years as teachers and other staff search for ways to deal with bad or challenging behaviour amongst their pupils.
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In May 2016, the High Court deemed that it was acceptable and within the law for parents to take their children on holiday during term time – a move that was stated as a victory for those with common sense among supporters.
Despite this ruling, the topic has still been one of controversy among parents and teachers alike, raising debate and question about the quality of education a child on holiday during term time can receive.
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Schools that have behaviour challenges often find that the sort of anti-social behaviour that affects the communities they are part of spills over into their school grounds, their corridors and even their classrooms.
Intimidating behaviour, property damage or even alcohol and drug use are all challenges faced by many schools and pose a significant threat to the safe environment that is needed to promote learning and achievement.
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Detentions. Often they can feel like they punish the staff more than they punish the student. When you ask interviewees why they wanted to become a teacher, it is unlikely that any of them replied that they looked forward to the chance of staying late after school to supervise the very students who had made their day miserable to begin with.
So why do schools carry on with them? Because they can, when used correctly, work.
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Reading time: 4 minutes
There are two reasons why a school revisits their Behaviour Policy. The most benign of these is that the allotted time for review has arrived and the governors expect a revised copy for review. The second reason why a Behaviour Policy is up for review is that your school has been experiencing difficulties, either in behaviour, attendance or engagement and you need to take steps to address this.
Whichever angle you are coming at this issue from, now is the time to turn your Behaviour Policy into a Positive Behaviour Policy.
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Bad behaviour during a lesson is disruptive to all and frustrating for both the teacher and the remaining pupils in the class who want to learn. Persistent disobedience can mean that precious time is spent trying to sort out the issue which then means that the amount of teaching time is greatly reduced.
In turn this can mean increased amounts of homework to ensure the class stays up to speed with the curriculum and adds to their spare time workload when combined with that of other subjects.
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Reading time: 5 minutes
The Kidscape charity works with children and young people under the age of 16, along with their parents/carers and those that work with young people, such as teachers, to prevent bullying. The website provides a range of information, resources and training to protect vulnerable pupils and reduce bullying.
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Reading time: 3 minutes
The Ofsted annual report from 2012/13 states that, “…teachers can only teach well, and challenge pupils to do better routinely, if behaviour in class is orderly and attentive.”
This means that even low-level disruption such as incessant chatter, calling out, inattention and other seemingly minor behaviour issues will affect teaching standards in the classroom in general.
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The correlation between attendance and attainment is hardly surprising, as The School Services Sourcebook identifies “Poor attendance means that students are not developing the knowledge and skills needed for later success” (Franklin et al, 2013).
With attendance being such an influential factor on a child’s education, we have put together our top strategies for improving school attendance…
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In the November issue of ED Journal, we discussed strategies to manage low level behaviour issues in the classroom. Balancing positive and negative was one of the key points mentioned, so in this issue we are going to look at how schools run rewards and sanctions and more importantly, discuss what actually works and what pupils perceive to be effective rewards and sanctions.
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Reading time: 3 minutes
Low-level behaviour issues are a daily occurrence in schools, with pupils causing disruptions through chair rocking, talking out of turn, note passing and pen tapping. One reason this behaviour should be taken seriously and intercepted is that ‘low-level disruption is what pupils do instead of learning’ (Bennett, 2009).
In the Continental Research Survey 2004, 71% of teachers and 62% of support staff identified constant low-level behaviour, such as chatting and leaving seats without permission, to be a factor that is most detrimental to a child’s learning. Here are our simple tips for managing this type of behaviour in the classroom.
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