The government is launching an “expert- and evidence-based review” to find the best ways to improve behaviour, reduce “preventable” exclusions and cut bullying in schools.
The Department for Education is seeking an organisation or consortium to oversee the review, which will also lead to “best practice” toolkits being developed for schools.
Union leaders have welcomed the “timely” review, recommending more work be done to understand the rise in challenging behaviour since the pandemic and look at the root causes of disruptive behaviour.
‘Equipping schools with latest evidence’
A government tender to oversee the work, costed at up to £750,000, describes it as “an expert- and evidence-based review of the best practice for supporting good pupil behaviour, reducing preventable exclusions and tackling and preventing bullying”.
The evidence obtained during the review and “related insights” will be used to draft a “practical and user-friendly resource to be used by schools”, documents state. The toolkit will be tested in “select schools” as part of its development.
The tender document added: “Parents and carers should have confidence that, regardless of which school their child attends, approaches to behaviour – including to tackling and preventing bullying – are underpinned by the right expertise and set high expectations for all pupils.
“This confidence will be built on the knowledge that school staff are equipped with the latest evidence, training, and best practice to create inclusive, thriving environments.”
Former government behaviour tsar Tom Bennett led a review of behaviour management in schools in 2017 – the same year that the government last issued guidance on preventing bullying.
Bennett recommended behaviour audits be used to create a national data map, which Ofsted could use during inspections.
He also said trusts should be incentivised to pool resources for SEND and AP funding, as well as funding for internal inclusion units in schools.
The DfE did not respond to requests for comment about the new review.
‘Moving up the list of concerns’
Daniel Kebede, NEU general secretary, said it is “appropriate” for the DfE to focus on behaviour as it is “fast moving up the list as a concern for teachers”.
Four in 10 teachers now report pupil misbehaviour is disrupting all or most of their lessons, government data from last year found.
Behaviour is also now cited as a top concern for primary school teachers. A teacher Tapp survey from February found 48 per cent of teachers selected poor behaviour as a top issue facing their school, up from 36 per cent in February 2023.
“A toolkit which helps leaders and teachers find ideas to try or, more likely, validates that they’re implementing the right range of things that could be beneficial,” Kebede added.
Pepe Di’lasio, general secretary of ASCL, said it would also be “particularly helpful for more work to be done to better understand the rise in challenging behaviour since the pandemic, and how approaches should evolve as a result.
“There needs to be a focus on enabling early intervention to prevent issues from escalating.”
Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, added: “Behaviour policy in schools must be rooted in a strong and broad evidence base that ensures efforts and resources are focused in the right areas – so this review is timely and welcome.”
But he said it was “vital schools retain the flexibility to respond to the specific needs of their pupils and local community” and many “root causes of disruptive behaviour often lie beyond the school gates”.
An online event for parties interested in overseeing the review is being held on Friday, and the tender notice is estimated to be published on November 10.
The DfE said the contract would run from February 2026 until either February 2028, or 2029.
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