Published: 24 October 2005
Learning Behaviour
Secretary of State for Education and Skills Ruth Kelly has welcomed a package of new proposals put forward by the teaching profession to tackle poor pupil behaviour.
The Learning Behaviour report is the work of the Practitioners' Group on School Behaviour and Discipline - a group of experienced heads and teachers led by Sir Alan Steer.
The Group's conclusions reflect their view that:
- good teaching is key to promoting good behaviour, but
- that all schools must also have strategies in place to help pupils manage their behaviour, with
- a balance of rewards and sanctions and that
- these strategies need to be applied consistently by all staff.
The Group are clear that schools need to take firm and consistent action to deal with any poor behaviour and that parents' cooperation is essential.
But the Group also emphasise the importance of schools creating a culture of mutual regard between parents, pupils and staff and of schools providing strong pastoral support for pupils who are having difficulties.
As part of the report, the Group set out the key elements and examples of good practice that should be in all schools.
The report also welcomes work already in hand to improve standards of pupil behaviour and learning, and suggests how this might be built on in a number of areas.
Sir Alan Steer said:
"This is a key moment for schools. Our report represents the views of serving heads and teachers about what is needed.
I would like to thank all the other Group members for the huge contributions they have made. This report provides a detailed, balanced and substantial set of recommendations which builds on a lot of what is already working in schools.
Contrary to what is often said, most schools are orderly places that for some children provide the stability and security they don't have in the rest of their lives.
But we also know that a small minority of unruly pupils can make life very difficult for teachers and do real damage to the learning and attainment of other pupils in a class.
The changes that we have recommended strengthen the authority of schools, giving them the confidence to take action and send a clear message to parents and pupils that they also have a responsibility in dealing with the problem."
Ruth Kelly accepted the key recommendations, making clear she wanted to see rapid progress and that behaviour will be a cornerstone of the forthcoming White Paper.
These recommendations include:
- A stronger legal basis for schools to discipline pupils
Introducing a clear and unambiguous legal right for teachers to discipline pupils backed by an expectation that every school has a clear set of rules, rewards and sanctions;
- Reinforcing parental responsibility through:
- Wider powers on parenting contracts and orders making it possible to use parenting contracts as a preventative measure, before a child has reached the point of being excluded from school.
- In addition, schools as well as local authorities will have the power to apply for parenting orders;
- Making parents take responsibility for excluded pupils in the first five days of a suspension.
For too many children, fixed period exclusions are seen as extra holiday and they may be tempted to misbehave when unsupervised.
The Government agrees with this and the government plan to introduce a new offence of allowing a child to be found in a public place during school hours without good cause.
- Closer supervision of excluded pupils
Ensuring education provision is made for all excluded pupils from day six of their exclusion (instead of after 15 days at present) with legislation introduced at the earliest opportunity.
- Tightening up procedures of exclusion appeal panels
The Group are clear that exclusion appeal panels remain a necessary part of the system.
But the government will act to reduce the risk of appeals being upheld on technicalities and legislate to give head teachers the same right to representation at appeal panels as other parties.
- Pupil behaviour to be a key factor in evaluating school performance
All schools should be expected to review their behaviour policy, and its interaction with teaching and learning, each year against established effective practice as part of the annual self evaluation, which is the starting point for inspection by Ofsted.
The Group make a number of other recommendations, including for the development of a National Behaviour Charter.
They also recommend that every school should have a Pupil Parent Support Worker, one of whose functions would be to help ensure that excluded children continue with their school work.
The government says that it is ‘sympathetic to this proposal’ and that it and all the other recommendations will be taken forward by the Ministerial Stakeholder Group on Behaviour and Attendance.
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