Amid recent highly publicised incidents concerning behaviour in schools, there has been growing public concern, leading to the announcement by education secretary Jenny Gilruth of a summit around the issue. Many commentators, meanwhile, have highlighted the role of the pandemic in contributing to the problem.
A wide range of reports and surveys from the UK and beyond point to the impact on the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people, of lockdown and isolation from peers and support networks, exacerbating and amplifying existing inequalities (see, for example, two from Unicef: The State of the World’s Children 2021 and Preventing a lost decade: Urgent action to reverse the devastating impact of Covid-19 on children and young people).
This has affected the readiness for learning of young children, their development and their socialisation. The most recent Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey found self-reported levels of confidence and happiness at their lowest in 28 years. School attendance has also suffered, as Scottish government data has shown. Children living in poverty and those with additional support needs (ASN) have been affected disproportionally and are most likely to be temporarily excluded from school.
While not seeking to minimise the problem, I would argue that we have a great deal to be proud of in Scottish education. I have seen a significant shift in culture in Scottish schools - they are now much more compassionate and caring places. We now recognise that children and young people who present with behavioural issues are deserving of support.
Much of the credit for this change in culture lies with national policy that stresses the importance of relationships, recognising that what may be perceived as aggressive and violent behaviour could be signs of a pupil in distress who does not have the coping mechanisms to regulate their emotions effectively. There is much greater recognition of the trauma that pupils may have experienced and of the need to provide age-appropriate support through approaches, including trauma-informed practice, nurture, restorative practice, counselling and services offered by ancillary workers, such as family-liaison officers and community workers.
There is no easy solution to the problem of “poor” behaviour in schools. The underlying reasons why pupils may not be able to conform to the norms of school life are wide and varied - perhaps exacerbated by inflexible school systems and structures - and reflect wider society.
It is easy to point the finger at what is seen as inadequate parenting, to blame parents for circumstances often not under their control. Such problems run too deep to be solved by schools alone and require various agencies and public policymakers to work collaboratively, in genuine partnerships with parents.
This requires resourcing and recognition that teachers need time to deal with behavioural issues effectively and work with parents. Otherwise, approaches such as nurture and restorative practice may be deemed to be failing. What purports to be restorative practice in some settings may, in reality, be no different from what preceded it - a teacher lecturing a pupil outside the classroom door while trying to keep the remaining pupils in check.
Further, if implemented alongside sanctions-led policies, which frame the situation as pupils making deliberate “bad” choices about their behaviour, there is a likelihood of mixed and confusing messages for all members of the school community. This does not mean that schools and teachers should condone unacceptable behaviour. Early intervention, when pupils initially show signs of disengaging from learning and from the school, through whole-school approaches, such as the nurturing school and rights-respecting schools, together with targeted approaches, can head off more serious indiscipline in the future.
Having a sense of belonging to the school is crucially important if pupils are to develop a sense of responsibility towards themselves and others. A school where that sense of belonging is absent is more likely to be prone to incidents of bullying behaviour and to young people who seek affiliation elsewhere - perhaps in antisocial behaviour in the community or disruptive behaviour in school.
A system built on rewards and sanctions only leads to young people who behave to either receive the accolade or to avoid punishment, not because it is the right thing to do or through caring about the impact of their behaviour on others.
The Education Endowment Foundation in the UK and the American Psychological Association have found little evidence that zero-tolerance approaches to school discipline work. Relying primarily on a sanctions-led approach leads to a breakdown in trust and relationships between teachers and pupils and creates an environment where, even pupils who are disposed to behave well, may not feel safe (I only have to remember my own schooldays and the tyranny of the belt).
Clear boundaries and expectations
It is important that children and young people, whether at home, at school or in the community, have clear boundaries and that schools have clear expectations as to how all members of the school community (and that includes all adults) should behave towards each other, arrived at through consultation with staff, parents and pupils.
However, it is important to make a distinction between consistency (meaning everyone responds to the behaviour of pupils in the same way) and being consistently fair. The latter is crucially important and something that pupils value in their teachers. It means taking account of the individual circumstances of pupils when dealing with any incident of misbehaviour - it does not mean “going soft” and accepting behaviour that would not normally be tolerated.
The four-yearly surveys of behaviour in Scottish schools (delayed by two years until late 2023 because of Covid), along with a wide body of other evidence, indicate that school ethos is by far the most important predictor of good behaviour within a school. Focusing on building trust and relationships within the school and investing in the professional development of teachers at all stages is crucial, as is high-quality initial teacher education.
Good behaviour is best nurtured in a school where it is seen to be not solely the preserve of the senior leadership team, nor the classroom teacher, but a joint endeavour where everyone, including pupils, has a part to play in creating a positive climate for learning - and where a sense of community and belonging lie at the heart.
Dr Joan Mowat is a highly experienced teacher, former depute headteacher, senior lecturer and course leader for Into Headship at the University of Strathclyde. She is the author of Building Community to Create Equitable, Inclusive and Compassionate Schools through Relational Approaches and was an expert witness in a Scottish Parliament roundtable session on violence in Scottish schools in June 2023
