Thread by @ChrisWardle77

Beahviour 1.

I was an FSM pupil. I've been a teacher for 21 yrs, a senior leader for 10 of those years. It keeps appearing, it divides educational thoughts. So, this is what I know about great behaviour (almost stole @johntomsett's line there) but not quite. Apologies John.

I've always taught within an 'opportunity area.' An area once described by and ex @Ofstednews lead as, 'those up the M55.' Within schools that were special measures, requiring improvement and in the latter stages, good to great.

Behaviour is the product of culture. The culture is the mirror of your behaviour; it's the byproduct of your cultural leadership vision, mission and values. It's a reflection of your vision, mission and values. It's an image of the Head, or the Trust (of whom the Head is apart).

You CANNOT have great behaviour without great leadership. Leadership trumps every card over time. You can be a GREAT (new to school) leader and have poor behaviour but over time that 'reflection' will metamorphosise into the Headteacher's ideal.

You can have a new to post leader running a culturally poor school that exhibits poor behaviour. Over time that leadership will transform that poor behaviour creating improved life chances for all (staff and pupils).

So how do schools demonstrate great behaviour? Some thoughts: -

Strong leadership. Your mission. Your visions. Your values. Communicate. Communicate. Communicate.

Microscript your school to the nth degree. Plan it. Plan it. Plan it. Communicate it. Communicate it. Communicate it. And when you think you're done, communicate it and never stop revisiting it.

Centralise behaviour. Make it a leadeship priority. Let the teachers do what they do best, teach. Don't have them chasing up poor behaviour; it detracts from them supporting and helping the pupils that do not exhibit poor behaviour.

Establish simple, easy to follow systems. Ensure all staff including your supply agencies know your school.

'This is how we do things here.'

Ensure you supply the supply agencies with your behavioural policy and procedures. You're paying for a service (at great expense), EXPECT them to know your school.

Centralise detentions. However you do this, SLT MUST flood those detentions. Let the pupils know, let the staff know that this is a priority.

DO NOT HAVE over complicated systems. Or systems that allow for multiple low level poor behaviour. I've heard of a school where the c-system was used and a child had to pass through C1,2,3,4,5,6 before being ejected on C7. 6 opportunities to disrupt the class 🤦‍♂️

I once worked in a school with THREE behaviour systems. I'm sorry, but 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

Allow for ONE error from the child. On the second, your policy and procedure MUST have teeth.

This more than any other-track the low level poor behaviour & where a child is either a) systematic or b) plethora of low level behaviour...Be proactive and get your behaviour team to track that child/Punish that child. They may well be a serial under the radar child. Spot them

....take them to task. Let them know you're onto them. A daily behaviour report does this. Communicate that report allowing all leaders to know who, what, where, why, how. They are then on the watch list. Tell the pupil this. Track them in lessons. They'll stop their behaviour.

Once removed from class - take them to head of dept where a laptop is set up with headphones so that they can engage in a live lesson. Have procedures in place if they fail with head of dept (a rare occasion indeed).

SLT MUST own all of this.....not in offices, not in meetings, not doing any other but focusing on the climate of the school and central to the discipline procedure. SLT must know their pupils.

Ensure that your isolation area is well microscripted (like the rest of the school). Ensure that all pupils know and understand what will happen, step by step within that isolation area. This may include

A) A warning
B) SLT support
C) Phone call to parents/carers
D) An opportunity to correct behaviour
E) a facility for parent/carer to come into the school to help support behaviour.
F) Cool off period where the parent/carer can remove the child and then return after a short time.

Stick this procedure up within isolation so that ALL know whay happens next. Great for staff and pupils.

Ensure your punitive measures are well scripted and well communicated...poor punctuality = this, internal truancy = this. Always go to the rule book with pupils. Show them in black and white their error and what comes next.

Ensure punishment for lateness. Communicate the time pupils are expected in and without a good excuse, punish poor punctuality.

Punish uniform issues. A great Head once told me, to spot the none conformer, look at the footwear. In most cases the 'trainer child exhibits other poor behaviour.' (May not be completely accurate though within a pandemic or is that an excuse?).

Behaviour 2

Make sure you CENTRALISE detentions. Staff need to focus on the ones that are complicit and want to learn. NOT deal with the small minority that display poor culture. That is the role of leaders. Teachers/middle leaders should NOT run these. Let them teach.

Track track track behaviours. Let the pupils and parents know that you sweat the small stuff. Communicate, communicate, communicate the small stuff; a parent/carer shouldn't be in the dark about the tiny issues.

Do not allow EXCUSES for poor behaviour. NOTHING should allow for a child to ruin the education of another.

Ensure your INCLUSION is WORLD CLASS. Ensure you have the following:-

Support support support plans for all pupils that 'get it wrong.' Demonstrate how you are trying to support those pupils to get it right. Ensure that the chronology is water tight.

A centre for those that have mental health issues/school refusers.
A centre for those that can cannot engage with the curriculum at ks3/4.
A short stay centre for those that are going through extreme issues.

It's costly but massively preferential to FTE, PX.

Don't misinterpret. FTE and PX have their place and I would be the last one to remove the Head of these options. However, I'm of the opinion that FTE and PX are to the detriment of the child and must only be considered when absolutely necessary.

Ensure that your behaviour system includes Governors. Demonstrating support to the pupil should be no suprise to the child or their parents. To the Governor. A tight proforma of support can prove pivotol when the child and parent/carer are sat with Governors.

Part time timetables are permitted. Use these sparingly but with water tight risk assessments and provision in place, these can be useful to support a child to get back on track with your culture. They are hugely useful with school refusers...to dip their toe in gently.

Care. Care. Care.

When you come from a place of CARE. Punitive measures are not really punitive. They're a testiment of care; that you want the poor behaviours exhibited to comform for the good of themselves and their peers/school community.

I've not touched on REWARDS in this thread. Maybe another time. REWARD systems are often poorly lead, communicated and managed. They often (in my experience as a teacher & dad of 3) provide reward for the poorly behaved when they (the poorly behaved) get it right. This must STOP.

Finally, forgive the SPAG. My thumbs and autocorrect are not as as pr3cise as I'd like.