Behaviour: What UK educators could expect this year

Student outcomes are at the heart of every school’s purpose, and behaviour plays a critical role in this. It also has a direct impact on the overall working environment and wellbeing of everyone across the school; be that staff or students. 

Behaviour is also an issue that can be influenced by a wide range of factors from inside and outside school. Everything from the home life and background of students to the policies and values of the school can affect how a student behaves. 

This can make it a difficult area to predict for the year ahead. However, using recent data and the outstanding coverage in Tes Magazine we can make some assumptions and confident predications. We will build a picture of the behaviour landscape today, the potential challenges ahead and current best practices. We will also share some of the potential technology-based solutions to these challenges, helping you to prepare for the year ahead. 

The behaviour landscape in education today  

In recent years, behaviour has become a key issue with frequent headline-grabbing occurrences. In the most recent Department for Education behaviour survey (May 2023), 25% of teachers said pupil misbehaviour had led to 10 minutes of time lost for every 30 minutes of lesson time. It also revealed that 74% of teachers were experiencing a negative impact on their health and wellbeing due to pupil misbehaviour.  

On top of this, the most recent data on suspensions shows an increase of almost a third in just twelve months. The number of suspensions reached a new record high, rising to almost 787,000 in the 2022-23 academic year. Compared to 578,300 in the previous year, it shows a startling jump year-on-year. The number of young people excluded also jumped by 45% from 6,400 in 2021-2022 to 9,400 the following year.  

What all this data shows is a major and growing problem with behaviour in classrooms and schools across the country. Behaviour consultant Bill Rogers told Tes Magazine, it's his belief that teachers need to be leaders of responsible behaviour. He suggests teachers and leaders need to use a more direct, forceful approach to behaviour management. Offering an example where teachers give instructions with a ‘thank you’ rather than a ‘please,’ without aiming to appease.  

Student behaviour challenges this year  

As all educators will be aware, behaviour is an issue impacted by multiple other issues and challenges. 

One looming challenge is around funding. Recently, alternative provision leaders warned of a funding ‘cliff edge’ which would affect the employment of essential specialist staff. This would of course have knock-on effects for pupils. 

A lack of support or capacity in AP or behaviour hubs would mean students that may need this provision are forced to stay in mainstream schools. This puts other pupils' learning at risk because of that disruptive behaviour or even violent behaviour in the classroom. 

Funding is also an issue when it comes to providing extra classroom support. School leaders have faced especially challenging budgetary decisions on staffing in the past 2-3 years. This has seen a reduced number of teaching assistants or one-to-one student support in schools. Without this support, it risks general pupil behaviour getting worse as more and more is expected of class teachers. 

As mentioned previously, the major challenge currently facing schools and individual teachers is reducing low-level misbehaviour. This costs schools in lost teaching time, which in turn affects student progression opportunities. 

Linked to this, the effect that poor behaviour is having on staff morale and wellbeing will be key for school leaders. It will be vital this year to be aware of any staff who may be struggling or dealing with the classroom behaviour of certain classes. Utilising and carefully analysing staff surveys could be useful to gain insights into staff morale this year.  

Best behaviour management practices in schools  

For such a foundational issue, there isn’t one solution but instead a combination of elements. One thing many schools and trusts are embracing is the idea of values and ‘non-negotiables.’ 

Kulvarn Atwal runs two Unicef rights-respecting primary schools in Redbridge, London. He shared with Tes Magazine how he set his schools’ values as kindness, respect and responsibility. He and his staff then set a firm expectation that student behaviour lives up to and follows those values. 

It’s also vital to have clear school behavioural policies and processes. Kulvarn explained that his schools encourage students to reflect on poor choices and make amends with someone they’ve offended. 

“If a child is hitting the same child again and again, then it’s not working. We aren’t a school that has no sanctions.” 

Kulvarn Atwal, Executive Headteacher in Redbridge, London. 

Amy Forrester, Director of Behaviour at Cockermouth School in Cumbria told Tes Magazine that utilising educational technology tools for behaviour management can be highly impactful. 

“Tech can help to empower school leaders to work proactively, but sometimes we also need to be reactive. Things can change quickly in a school and a positive culture can be undermined without prompt and effective responses. So being able to see where issues are occurring and react swiftly is key.”

Amy Forrester, Director of Behaviour, Cockermouth School  

How can we help?   

Across a whole school, through a school year, you can reclaim 10,000 hours of teaching time by using our powerful behaviour management software, Class Charts.  

Class Charts  

• Our powerful seating plan and behaviour management software enables you to monitor and manage behaviour in real-time. Helping cut out low-level classroom disruptions and gaining on average 18% of teaching time back per class.  
• Teaching staff can reward positive behaviour through Class Charts, building closer links with parents through sharing of updates to keep parents informed.  
• 93% of current Class Charts customers say they’ve saved time managing behaviour. 96% also say their teachers have saved time preparing seating plans 

Visit the Class Charts home page to find out more. 

“Now that we’ve got Class Charts, the fact that we can click and praise a student straight away has meant that our positive reward points have gone through the roof.”

Jake Heath, Assistant Headteacher, Blessed Robert Sutton Catholic Voluntary Academy