What’s the latest on behaviour in schools?

Our latest report, the Behaviour Barometer, tackles a few crucial questions, like:

• When and where is behaviour worst?
• How high a priority is improving behaviour for staff?
• What do staff want done – and does it make a difference?

We’ve drawn on the answers shared by the 10,000+ teachers who respond on Teacher Tapp daily, and the insights our school surveys provide into what’s going on in individual schools.

Here are the three findings we believe to be most important.

Behaviour really matters

In their most recent lesson, three-quarters of teachers say behaviour interrupted teaching and learning at some point, almost half say learning stopped completely, and a tenth say learning was disrupted for ten or more minutes.

Only one-third of pupils say that the behaviour of other pupils is good most of the time, while one-fifth say that behaviour is almost never good.

This matters more than ever to teachers. Two years ago, they said the biggest cause of workplace stress they faced was accountability. Now, they say it’s behaviour.

They also say it’s the biggest source of additional workload and the number two thing encouraging them to leave their school (after the leadership team), or teaching entirely (after pay).

Unexpected results

Many teacher responses surprised us. Consider the following questions:

1. Where is behaviour worse? (Primary or secondary schools?)
2. When is behaviour worst? (In lessons, break, transitions or at lunchtime?)
3. What irritates teachers most? (Answering back, calling out, chatting, making noise or being unwilling to work?)

Answers are at the end of this article*. In each case, my guess didn’t match the answers. A key message of our report is the importance of leaders hearing from their staff about what’s working well – and exactly where more support is needed.

What teachers want

Asked about their ideal policy, teachers called for three things:

Clarity and consistency

One teacher described wanting “clear rules and expectations that are fair for everyone.”

Teachers explained that this is fair to students and crucial in terms of getting all staff implementing the policy effectively.

Consequences for poor behaviour

Teachers want sanctions which are, as one put it, “proportionate but firm, so students know boundaries”. Another explained that “clear expectations and consistent sanctions make a huge difference”.

Collective effort to improve behaviour

Teachers want all students and all staff pulling together to create safe, pleasant classrooms. One wanted all staff to support the policy, so that students experience a “unified approach.” Another noted the importance that students themselves are “part of the process.”

Another interesting strand of teacher responses was the desire for pragmatic solutions which allow them to teach. Many teachers called for policies which combine a restorative approach with firm sanctions for repeated misbehaviour.

For example, one wanted a policy which is “consistent and robust; something that is fair but genuinely supports teachers, giving students opportunities to reconcile differences through mediation”.

What differences would these approaches make in a school? We tested the relationship between how teachers described behaviour in their own classrooms and the support they reported getting from leaders.

The result? The more consistency and support leaders offer, the better classroom behaviour is.

Read the full report, ‘Behaviour Barometer: Essential insights for leaders’ and survey your own staff here

* Answers:

1. Where is behaviour worse?

54 per cent of primary teachers said learning completely stopped against 38 per cent of secondary teachers.

• When is behaviour worst?

Lunchtime, according to 55 per cent of teachers.

• What irritates teachers most?

Answering back (12 percentage points higher than the next highest irritation, chatting).